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kantele

American  
[kahn-tuh-luh] / ˈkɑn tə lə /

noun

  • kanteles
    plural
  1. a traditional Finnish and Karelian zither played by plucking the strings: Finland's national instrument.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


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.

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Plucked phrases on the kantele and the strings seem at once delicately spiritual and skittishly angular.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2018

“The bass strings are something like rain; the small strings talk like a whisper,” a vocal quartet sings delicately above trilling strings and piccolo, while the kantele creates a resonant cascade of sound.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2018

But he only raked up shells and seaweed, and found no trace of the kantele.

From Finnish Legends for English Children by R. Eivind

But no workman could be found who was wise enough to understand Wainamoinen's directions, for no one had ever heard of a kantele before.

From Finnish Legends for English Children by R. Eivind

Then the great magician took the wondrous kantele and rested it upon his knee.

From Finnish Legends for English Children by R. Eivind

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