metallophone

American

[muh-tal-uh-fohn] / məˈtæl əˌfoʊn /

noun

any musical instrument consisting of a graduated series of metal bars that may either be struck by hammers operated manually or played with a keyboard.

metallophone British

/ mɛˈtæləˌfəʊn /

noun

any of various musical instruments consisting of tuned metal bars struck with a hammer, such as the glockenspiel

"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

Etymology

Origin of metallophone

First recorded in 1885–90; metallo- + -phone

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.

The glockenspiel – not to be confused with a xylophone – is the most well-known of the metallophone family of instruments.

From The Guardian • Apr. 26, 2010

Below are some basic accompaniment patterns on the xylophone or metallophone that students should be able to perform easily.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023