hurdy-gurdy

American  

[hur-dee-gur-dee, -gur-] / ˈhɜr diˈgɜr di, -ˌgɜr- /

noun

plural

hurdy-gurdies

1. a barrel organ or similar musical instrument played by turning a crank.

2. a lute- or guitar-shaped stringed musical instrument sounded by the revolution against the strings of a rosined wheel turned by a crank.

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hurdy-gurdy British  

/ ˈhɜːdɪˈɡɜːdɪ /

noun

1. any mechanical musical instrument, such as a barrel organ

2. a medieval instrument shaped like a viol in which a rosined wheel rotated by a handle sounds the strings

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Other Word Forms

• hurdy-gurdist noun
• hurdy-gurdyist noun

Etymology

Origin of hurdy-gurdy

1740–50; variant of Scots hirdy-girdy uproar, influencedby hurly-burly

Example Sentences

In addition to his standard arsenal of electrified gizmos and samples, a constant presence on the record is the hurdy-gurdy, a medieval instrument that generates a drone via a hand-cranked wheel that vibrates strings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

“Edendale Up Close Concerts” Harpsichordist Maksim Velichkin and hurdy-gurdy player Curtis Berak perform baroque works by Chedeville and Corrette plus some improvisations in a live Zoom recital.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2021

“Without you knowing about it, there can be hundreds or thousands of musical niches – from hurdy-gurdy players to kora players to pedal steel players.”

From The Guardian • May 2, 2019

We see how the early sketches and etchings of street beggars, half-naked women and hurdy-gurdy musicians transform later in his career into figures that populate his biblical scenes.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2019

We sleep to time's hurdy-gurdy; we wake, if we ever wake, to the silence of God.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer