cello

¹ American  

[chel-oh] / ˈtʃɛl oʊ /

noun

• cellos
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• cellist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cellos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cello¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for violoncello

Origin of cello²

By shortening

Explanation

A cello is a large, stringed musical instrument. A cellist has to sit in a chair to play a cello. One end of a cello rests on the floor as it's played, with the neck upright. The cellist forms notes with her fingers on the strings and pulls a bow across the body of the cello. Cellos are an important part of an orchestra, though they're often featured in contemporary popular music as well. The word is short for the Italian violincello, which ultimately comes from the Medieval Latin vitula, "stringed instrument."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cello cellos

Yo-Yo Ma closed his eyes as he drew a bow slowly across his cello, playing the first notes of the Catalan lullaby “The Song of the Birds.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

He played cello and piano as a child, but his first real intimations of a career in sound began when he attended the progressive Stockbridge School in Massachusetts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

He asks his mother to run through the death scene with a different sequence of movements and introduces the accompaniment of George Crotty on cello to liberate her performance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Their songs weave in Irish lilting, set against a lively mix of drums, fiddles, flutes, harps, banjos, cello and concertina - skills honed over years of playing house parties, pub céilís and traditional festivals.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

I push the box offstage while Ainsley Braden-Hammerschmidt rolls her cello into the spotlight, where Tim is taking his sixth bow.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Oh, and I’ve broken four cellos in my lifetime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

Meanwhile Nathan Johnson’s score of scratchy cellos and foreboding horns pairs well with a dramatic burst of organ music — one of many goofy-great jump scares goosed up by the editor Bob Ducsay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

It could be said eight violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of fourteen women were what finally broke up The Beatles.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2024

The cellist, joined by four cello colleagues, slowed the etudes down to almost half speed, wrapping and enrapturing her surroundings with the sonic blanket of amplified cellos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024

The cellos made the hills glow red, and the leaves and grass were tipped with a soft pale green as the violins began their song.

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster