accordion
Americannoun
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Also called piano accordion. a portable wind instrument having a large bellows for forcing air through small metal reeds, a keyboard for the right hand, and buttons for sounding single bass notes or chords for the left hand.
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a similar instrument having single-note buttons instead of a keyboard.
adjective
verb (used without object)
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(of a door, roof, or other covering) to open by folding back or pressing together in the manner of an accordion.
The roof of the car accordions to let in sunlight and fresh air.
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to fold, crush together, or collapse in the manner of an accordion.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a portable box-shaped instrument of the reed organ family, consisting of metallic reeds that are made to vibrate by air from a set of bellows controlled by the player's hands. Notes are produced by means of studlike keys
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short for piano accordion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accordion
1831; < German, now spelling Akkordion, Akkordeon name under which the instrument was patented in Vienna in 1829; probably < French accord ( er ) or Italian accord ( are ) to harmonize ( see accord) + French -ion -ion, as in German Orchestrion orchestrion
Explanation
An accordion is a hand-held musical instrument that has a keyboard or buttons and a bellows that blows air in and out. A street musician might play folk tunes on her accordion and collect donations in a hat. One of the distinct features of an accordion is its bellows, which looks like a series of pleats at the center of the instrument, and which allows the player to push and pull the accordion as she plays, blowing air across reeds inside it. The accordion was invented in the early 1800s, and it's played in many countries around the world. The word comes from the German Akkordion, from Akkord, "musical chord" or "be in tune."
Vocabulary lists containing accordion
Music to My Ears: Instrumental Vocab
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Pride
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here are a dozen to check out this year, including the Cotati Accordion Festival, the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, and the San Diego Food & Wine Festival.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025
Accordion music wafted over a production set that was tucked into a tree-lined street and teeming with crew members wearing Hawaiian shirts.
From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2022
The May 18 Accordion Noir radio show and podcast will focus on the company’s centennial, featuring historic music and a lineup of accordion players who have used Petosa instruments.
From Seattle Times • May 20, 2022
Listen to The Accordion Wars of Lesotho on Crossing Continents on 28 April 2022 at 1100 on BBC Radio 4 - or download the podcast.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2022
Accordion, harmonica, wine, shout, dance, wail, round-about, clash of pan, laughter.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
