cello

¹ American  

[chel-oh] / ˈtʃɛl oʊ /

noun

plural

cellos

1. the second largest member of the violin family, rested vertically on the floor between the performer's knees when being played.

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cello ² American  

[sel-oh] / ˈsɛl oʊ /

noun

Informal.

1. cellophane.

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cello British  

/ ˈtʃɛləʊ /

noun

1. Full name: violoncello.  music a bowed stringed instrument of the violin family. Range: more than four octaves upwards from C below the bass staff. It has four strings, is held between the knees, and has an extendible metal spike at the lower end, which acts as a support

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cello Cultural  

1. An instrument in the violin family, known for its rich tone. Among the strings, or stringed instruments, the cello has the second-lowest range, higher only than the bass viol, and it has the lowest part in string quartets. Cellists hold the instrument between their knees to play it. Cello is short for violoncello.

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Other Word Forms

• cellist noun

Etymology

Origin of cello¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for violoncello

Origin of cello²

By shortening

Example Sentences

Most notably, Ms. Kaminsky portrays Alona’s anguish in her big revelation scene with a jagged vocal line that seems painfully extracted from her, with the cello echoing Timothi Williams’s vibrant mezzo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

The sound of Ms. Reid’s cello resonates across a broad musical landscape.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

Her daughter Ye-won, a cello instructor, had just celebrated her birthday and was due to return from a short holiday in Bangkok.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

Dame Helen Mirren hopes to repair a broken cello that belongs to a care home she supports, while author Julia Donaldson seeks to restore a a battered toy farmhouse that inspired her books.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

Last summer at the Massachusetts retreat, I brought my cello so I could keep up my practicing for an upcoming chamber-music concert.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman