harpsichord

[hahrp-si-kawrd]

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.

Nearby words

Origin of harpsichord

First recorded in 1605–15, harpsichord is from the New Latin word harpichordium (with intrusive -s- of obscure origin). See harp, -i-, chord¹

Related formsharp·si·chord·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for harpsichord

Sitting up there at that little spindly-legged organ, he looked enormous, bigger than life, like a gorilla at a harpsichord.
The Stacks: Grateful Dead I Have Known|Ed McClanahan|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The invention which overthrew the clavichord and the harpsichord and brought into existence the piano was the hammer action.
How Music Developed|W. J. Henderson
On his disappearing, the person who before had played the second harpsichord demanded the first.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume II (of 2)|Carl Engel
I am very fond of books and music; my harpsichord was my delight.
The Memoires of Casanova, Complete|Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

My harpsichord, monsieur; it was so perfect that it enticed me toward earthly things; I condemned it this morning.
The Regent's Daughter|Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
A harpsichord occupied one corner of the room, and an elaborate bookcase, well-filled with splendidly bound volumes, another.
The Golden Dog|William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for harpsichord

harpsichord

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 Formsharpsichordist, noun

Word 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for harpsichord

harpsichord

1610s, from French harpechorde "harp string," from Modern Latin harpichordium (cf. Italian arpicordo), from harpa (see harp (n.)) + chorda "string" (see cord). The -s- is unexplained, but it is attested in the earliest English forms.

Culture 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.