barrel organ

noun

1. a musical instrument in which air from a bellows is admitted to a set of pipes by means of pins inserted into a revolving barrel; hand organ.

barrel organ

noun

1. an instrument consisting of a cylinder turned by a handle and having pins on it that interrupt the air flow to certain pipes, thereby playing any of a number of tunes See also hurdy-gurdy

2. a similar instrument in which the projections on a rotating barrel pluck a set of strings

Word History and Origins

Origin of barrel organ¹

First recorded in 1765–75