clavier

[ kluh-veer, klav-ee-er, kley-vee- ]

/ kləˈvɪər, ˈklæv i ər, ˈkleɪ vi- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clavier ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the keyboard of a musical instrument.

Nearby words

Origin of clavier

1700–10; < French: keyboard, in Old French, keyholder, equivalent to Latin clāvi(s) key + -ier -ier²

clavier

or kla·vier

[ kluh-veer, klav-ee-er, kley-vee- ]

/ kləˈvɪər, ˈklæv i ər, ˈkleɪ vi- /

noun

any musical instrument having a keyboard, especially a stringed keyboard instrument, as a harpsichord, clavichord, or piano.

Origin of clavier

1835–45; < German Klavier < French clavier keyboard; see clavier¹

Related formscla·vier·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clavier

The chamber music of Handel proves to be of the same precocious maturity as his clavier music.
Handel|Romain Rolland
Haydn's chief instrument was the clavier, but in addition to that he diligently practiced the violin.
Haydn|J. Cuthbert Hadden
Miss Clavier was evidently almost as astonished as her listener, but she had committed herself.
The Dust of Conflict|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
She had heard one of his clavier sonatas played, found it charming and wished to see the composer.
The World's Great Men of Music|Harriette Brower

He composed for the clavier little picture tunes, designed to depict sentiments, moods, phases of character and scenes from life.
For Every Music Lover|Aubertine Woodward Moore

British Dictionary definitions for clavier

clavier

/ (kləˈvɪə, ˈklævɪə) /

noun

any keyboard instrument
the keyboard itself

Word Origin for clavier

C18: from French: keyboard, from Old French (in the sense: key bearer), from Latin clāvis key

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

Word Origin and History for clavier

clavier

1708, "keyboard," from French clavier, originally "a key-bearer," from Latin clavis "key" (see slot (n.2)). The French word also is the source of German Klavier, Dutch klavier, Danish klaver, etc. The German word is the direct source of the name of the musical instrument, a sense attested from 1845 in English.