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  • bodhran
    bodhran
    noun
    a handheld, shallow Irish drum with a single goatskin head, played with a stick.
  • bodhrán
    bodhrán
    noun
    a shallow one-sided drum popular in Irish and Scottish folk music

bodhran

American  
[baw-rahn] / ˈbɔ rɑn /
Or bodhrán

noun

  1. a handheld, shallow Irish drum with a single goatskin head, played with a stick.


bodhrán British  
/ baʊˈrɑːn, ˈboːrɑːn /

noun

  1. a shallow one-sided drum popular in Irish and Scottish folk music

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bodhran

1965–70; Irish Gaelic bodhrán, from Middle Irish bodrán, from bodar “deafening, deaf”

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.

Flautist Jean-Michel Veillon represents the Breton strand of Celtic culture, and John Joe Kelly is a maestro of the bodhran, the traditional Irish frame drum.

From Washington Post • Mar. 12, 2015

The lush harmonies, intricate acoustic arrangements — fiddle, guitar, banjo, bodhran, whistles and more — make this far from standard fare.

From Washington Times • Nov. 24, 2014

“This combination of uilleann pipes and bodhran and the stench of Avenue B — it was something I’d never heard before.”

From New York Times • Nov. 7, 2014

His bowing techniques often added a percussive overlay that augmented Shane Shanahan’s subtle contributions on the bodhran, a frame drum, and Mr. O’Dette’s gentle strumming.

From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2011

The vocals are high and delicate, the melody – played on guitar and xylophone – is agile, with percussion from an Irish bodhran winding around it.

From The Guardian • Aug. 5, 2010

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