mandolin

American  

[man-dl-in, man-dl-in] / ˈmæn dl ɪn, ˌmæn dlˈɪn /

noun

1. a musical instrument with a pear-shaped wooden body and a fretted neck.

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mandolin British  

/ ˌmændəˈlɪn /

noun

1. a plucked stringed instrument related to the lute, having four pairs of strings tuned in ascending fifths stretched over a small light body with a fretted fingerboard. It is usually played with a plectrum, long notes being sustained by the tremolo

2. a vegetable slicer consisting of a flat stainless-steel frame with adjustable cutting blades

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Other Word Forms

• mandolinist noun

Etymology

Origin of mandolin

1700–10; < Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandola, variant of mandora, alteration of pandora bandore

Example Sentences

He's a massive Steelers fan, a music obsessive, and has played mandolin and guitar in bluegrass and country-rock bands in Brooklyn, Mexico City, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

In its rules, the academy states that traditional country recordings, among other things, employ “traditional country instrumentation such as acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, piano, electric guitar and live drums.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025

In my final week, a new activity leader began staging music concerts and playing the mandolin in the lounges, to the great joy of some residents.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

He played the guitar and mandolin, and she played the violin.

From Slate • Jan. 26, 2025

Yet when he was young he used to play the mandolin, and he knew the words and the melody of every current song.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers