harmonica
Americannoun
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Also called mouth organ. a musical wind instrument consisting of a small rectangular case containing a set of metal reeds connected to a row of holes, over which the player places the mouth and exhales and inhales to produce the tones.
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any of various percussion instruments that use graduated bars of metal or other hard material as sounding elements.
noun
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Also called: mouth organ. a small wind instrument of the reed organ family in which reeds of graduated lengths set into a metal plate enclosed in a narrow oblong box are made to vibrate by blowing and sucking
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See glass harmonica
Etymology
Origin of harmonica
Noun use of feminine of Latin harmonicus harmonic; in the form armonica (< Italian < Latin ) applied by Benjamin Franklin in 1762 to a set of musical glasses; later used of other instruments
Explanation
A harmonica is a musical instrument that's small enough to fit in your pocket. Harmonicas are especially popular in blues bands. Harmonicas have between 10 and 16 small holes, each with a small reed behind it. Players blow through one or more of the holes, changing the sound by pulling air at times instead, altering the shape and tension of the mouth, and by opening and closing their hands around the harmonica. Using these methods, great harmonica players can extract beautiful, complex sounds from this tiny instrument. The Greek root of harmonica is harmonikos, "musical."
Vocabulary lists containing harmonica
"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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Musical Instruments - Introductory
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Musical Instruments - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It has since acquired its own Muslim dating service, Harmonica, which it has renamed Hawaya.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2023
Harmonica player Walter enjoys playing the instrument precisely because the pursuit is free of competition.
From Salon • Aug. 29, 2021
Harmonica player Lee Oskar of War is 72.
From Washington Times • Mar. 17, 2020
Inhale Harmonica SkyPilot Theatre Company presents Nathan Wellman's new drama about a Kentucky family forced to confront long-buried secrets.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2015
But the TV stayed on, leaving me no choice but to watch a string of commercials for car waxes, weight-reducing programs, exercise machines and “Red-Hot Harmonica Classics.”
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
