concertina

[ kon-ser-tee-nuh ]
See synonyms for concertina on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a musical instrument resembling an accordion but having buttonlike keys, hexagonal bellows and ends, and a more limited range.

verb (used without object),con·cer·ti·naed [kon-ser-tee-nuhd], /ˌkɒn sərˈti nəd/, con·cer·ti·na·ing [kon-ser-tee-nuh-ing]. /ˌkɒn sərˈti nə ɪŋ/.
  1. 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-nuhd], /ˌkɒn sərˈti nəd/, con·cer·ti·na·ing [kon-ser-tee-nuh-ing]. /ˌkɒn sərˈti nə ɪŋ/.
  1. to cause to fold or collapse in the manner of a concertina.

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

Origin of concertina

1
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

Words Nearby concertina

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use concertina in a sentence

  • One night five musicians relieved each other at the task of playing the tune on a concertina outside his door.

    Hyacinth | George A. Birmingham
  • Because It only needs to be carefully sat on to make an excellent and noiseless substitute for the concertina.

  • The bonnet that covered the engine, crinkled up like a concertina; but the car held the track.

    The Hero of Panama | F. S. Brereton
  • He could hear Bob playing: "Way down upon de Suwannee ribber" on his concertina, and it made him nice and sad.

British Dictionary definitions for concertina

concertina

/ (ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə) /


noun
  1. 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
  1. (intr) to collapse or fold up like a concertina

Origin of concertina

1
C19: concert + -ina

Derived forms of concertina

  • concertinist, noun

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