concertina

[ kon-ser-tee-nuh ]

/ ˌkɒn sərˈti nə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR concertina ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a musical instrument resembling an accordion but having buttonlike keys, hexagonal bellows and ends, and a more limited range.

concertina wire.

verb (used without object), con·cer·ti·naed [kon-ser-tee-nuh d] /ˌkɒn sərˈti nəd/, con·cer·ti·na·ing [kon-ser-tee-nuh-ing] /ˌkɒn sərˈti nə ɪŋ/.

to fold, crush together, or collapse in the manner of a concertina: The car concertinaed when it hit the truck.

verb (used with object), con·cer·ti·naed [kon-ser-tee-nuh d] /ˌkɒn sərˈti nəd/, con·cer·ti·na·ing [kon-ser-tee-nuh-ing] /ˌkɒn sərˈti nə ɪŋ/.

to cause to fold or collapse in the manner of a concertina.

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a concertina: concertina pleats.

RELATED WORDS

melodeon, squeezebox

Nearby words

Origin of concertina

apparently coined by the original instrument's inventor, English instrument-maker Charles Wheatstone (1802–75), who patented it in 1829; cf. concertino, seraphina a similar instrument

Related formscon·cer·ti·nist, noun

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

Examples from the Web for concertina

At a meeting of prominent Zabul women, she casually mentioned that her office needed a higher fence and concertina wire.
Afghan Women's Uncertain Future|Ann Marlowe|December 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
There is concertina barbed wire going up on parts of the border between Bangladesh and India.
Al Gore Warms Up|Lloyd Grove|December 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST
You had the line opening and shutting like a concertina this morning.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 153, Aug. 22, 1917|Various
Into one of these trails stepped Samuel Mink, burdened only with his concertina and a box of cigars.
Police!!!|Robert W. Chambers

Uncle Pasco unwrapped his concertina from the red handkerchief and played nimbly for his own benefit.
The Jimmyjohn Boss and Other Stories|Owen Wister
Through the wall, without ceasing for a moment, came the sound of a concertina being played in the shop.
The Schoolmistress and Other Stories|Anton Chekhov
We fished out a concertina, too, an' a silver-mounted flute that was bobbin' among the weeds.
News from the Duchy|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for concertina

concertina

/ (ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə) /

noun

a small hexagonal musical instrument of the reed organ family in which metallic reeds are vibrated by air from a set of bellows operated by the player's hands. Notes are produced by pressing buttons

verb -nas, -naing or -naed

(intr) to collapse or fold up like a concertina

Derived Formsconcertinist, noun

Word Origin for concertina

C19: concert + -ina

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 concertina

concertina

1835, from concert + fem. ending -ina. Portable musical instrument invented 1829 by Sir Charles Wheatstone. Concertina wire attested by 1917, so called from similarity to the musical instrument.