dulcimer

[ duhl-suh-mer ]

/ ˈdʌl sə mər /

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noun

Also called hammered dulcimer, hammer dulcimer . a trapezoidal zither with metal strings that are struck with light hammers.

Appalachian dulcimer.

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Origin of dulcimer

First recorded in 1560–70; alteration of Middle English dowcemere, from Middle French doulcemer, dissimilated variant of doulcemele, from Old Italian dolcimelo, dolzemele, from Latin dulce melos “sweet song”; see dulcet, melic

Words nearby dulcimer

dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, Dulce Gulf, dulcet, dulciana, dulcify, dulcimer, dulcinea, dulcitol, Dulcolax, Dulcy, dulia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dulcimer in a sentence

In his introduction Wolcott admits to “going soft” lately, to “becoming a more loving, caring, dulcimer-strumming individual.”
The Obligation to be Interesting: James Wolcott’s “Critical Mass”|William Giraldi|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
You'll hear a marimba and dulcimer every so often in this crescendoing collection of stellar four-part harmonies.
10 Great Bands You’ve Never Heard|Winston Ross|May 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
From the cartoon: the figure playing the dulcimer is underneath the manger, above which is seated the Virgin and Child.
Stained Glass Work|C. W. Whall
An Italian dulcimer of wood carved and gilt, dating from the seventeenth century.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume I (of 2)|Carl Engel

Koto, a kind of dulcimer, from Japan, with silken strings and movable bridges.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume I (of 2)|Carl Engel
Yang-kin, Chinese dulcimer, with two little sticks or wooden hammers of a rather peculiar shape.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume I (of 2)|Carl Engel
He carries a silverstringed inlaid dulcimer and a longstemmed bamboo Jacob's pipe, its clay bowl fashioned as a female head.
Ulysses|James Joyce

British Dictionary definitions for dulcimer

dulcimer

/ (ˈdʌlsɪmə) /

noun music

a tuned percussion instrument consisting of a set of strings of graduated length stretched over a sounding board and struck with a pair of hammers

an instrument used in US folk music, consisting of an elliptical body, a fretted fingerboard, and usually three strings plucked with a goose quill

Word Origin for dulcimer

C15: from Old French doulcemer, from Old Italian dolcimelo, from dolce sweet, from Latin dulcis + -melo, perhaps from Greek melos song

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