clavier
Americannoun
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the keyboard of a musical instrument.
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Also klavier any musical instrument having a keyboard, especially a stringed keyboard instrument, as a harpsichord, clavichord, or piano.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of clavier
First recorded in 1700–10, and in 1835–45 clavier for def. 2; from French: literally, “keyboard,” in Old French “keyholder,” equivalent to Latin clāvi(s) “key” + -ier noun suffix; clavier def. 2 is from German Klavier, in turn from French as above see -ier 2
Explanation
A clavier is a musical instrument with a keyboard, such as a piano. Sometimes, the keyboard itself is called a clavier. The word clavier comes from the Latin clavis, meaning "key." Historically, a clavier was any stringed keyboard instrument, such as the clavichord, harpsichord, or pianoforte, in which sounds are produced when the player strikes keys that cause hammers or plucks to vibrate strings inside the instrument. In English, the word clavier most often refers to these early keyboard instruments. A famous and still-popular collection of keyboard music, The Well-Tempered Clavier, was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in the 1720s.
Vocabulary lists containing clavier
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.
He played the clavier and the harpsichord both.
From The Guardian • Jun. 6, 2016
The punningly titled device is not quite a well-tempered clavier, but sort of an automotive gamelan.
From Washington Post • Jun. 2, 2016
The elevator does not go to the clavier cabin.
From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2015
Mr. Lind’s console in the clavier cabin has pedals like an organ, but it is not outfitted with keys and stops; instead, it has wooden levers that are sometimes called batons.
From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2015
He may, however, have sometimes been a porter, as Old Fr. clavier also means key-bearer, Lat. clavis, a key.
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Weekley, Ernest
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
