concertina

[ kon-ser-tee-nuh ]

/ ˌkɒn sərˈti nə /

SEE 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.

Words nearby concertina

concertation, concertato, concerted, concertgebouw, concertgoer, concertina, concertina movement, concertina table, concertina wire, concertino, concertize

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

OTHER WORDS FROM concertina

con·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 forms of concertina

concertinist, 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

concertina

noun

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/.

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/.

adjective

Words related to concertina

Words nearby concertina

Origin of concertina

OTHER WORDS FROM concertina

Examples from the Web for concertina

British Dictionary definitions for concertina

noun

verb -nas, -naing or -naed

Derived forms of concertina

Word Origin for concertina