harpsichord
[ hahrp-si-kawrd ]
/ ˈhɑrp sɪˌkɔrd /
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noun
a keyboard instrument, precursor of the piano, in which the strings are plucked by leather or quill points connected with the keys, in common use from the 16th to the 18th century, and revived in the 20th.
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Origin of harpsichord
OTHER WORDS FROM harpsichord
harp·si·chord·ist, nounWords nearby harpsichord
harpist, harp on, harpoon, harpoon gun, harp seal, harpsichord, Harpy, harpy eagle, harquebus, harquebusier, Harrer
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for harpsichord
British Dictionary definitions for harpsichord
harpsichord
/ (ˈhɑːpsɪˌkɔːd) /
noun
a horizontally strung stringed keyboard instrument, triangular in shape, consisting usually of two manuals controlling various sets of strings plucked by pivoted plectrums mounted on jacks. Some harpsichords have a pedal keyboard and stops by which the tone colour may be varied
Derived forms of harpsichord
harpsichordist, nounWord Origin for harpsichord
C17: from New Latin harpichordium, from Late Latin harpa harp + Latin chorda chord 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Cultural definitions for harpsichord
harpsichord
A stringed keyboard instrument much used in the baroque era in music. The keys of a harpsichord move small devices that pluck the strings; the strings are not struck with hammers, as in a piano. Thus, although harpsichords often look much like pianos, their characteristic tinkly sound is unlike that of the piano, and a harpsichordist cannot change the volume of the sound by striking the keys harder, as a pianist can.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.