gamelan

[ gam-uh-lan, -luhn ]

/ ˈgæm əˌlæn, -lən /

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noun

an Indonesian orchestra consisting of bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and a great variety of percussion instruments.

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Also gam·e·lin

[gam-uh-lin]. /ˈgæm ə lɪn/.

Origin of gamelan

1810–20; <Javanese, equivalent to gamel song accompanied by a gamelan + -an nominalizing suffix

Words nearby gamelan

game face, game fish, game fowl, game jam, gamekeeper, gamelan, game law, game laws, gamely, Game Master, gameness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gamelan in a sentence

Behind the dalang was a gamelan, or series of gongs mounted on a wooden frame much like an ordinary couch.
A Visit to Java|W. Basil Worsfold
A topeng company numbers eleven persons—the dalang, six actors, and four gamelan musicians.
A Visit to Java|W. Basil Worsfold
He charms me sometimes with beautiful gamelan music and songs.
Letters of a Javanese Princess|Raden Adjeng Kartini
Gamelan broke into a song of welcome; the bridegroom was coming.
Letters of a Javanese Princess|Raden Adjeng Kartini

We know what Borel has written on the gamelan (he calls it soul music).
Letters of a Javanese Princess|Raden Adjeng Kartini

British Dictionary definitions for gamelan

gamelan

/ (ˈɡæmɪˌlæn) /

noun

a type of percussion orchestra common in the East Indies

Word Origin for gamelan

from Javanese

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