mirliton

[ mir-li-ton; French meer-lee-tawn ]

noun,plural mir·li·tons

[mir-li-tonz; French meer-lee-tawn]. /ˈmɪr lɪˌtɒnz; French mir liˈtɔ̃/.

kazoo.
chayote.

Origin of mirliton

1810–20; <French: literally, reed-pipe

Words Nearby mirliton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mirliton in a sentence

Also called mirlitons in Louisiana, this squash boasts a smooth, pale-green skin surrounding firm flesh with a single large seed.
How to use summer squash: a guide to this bountiful, versatile vegetable | Aaron Hutcherson | July 2, 2021 | Washington Post
Driven forth again I fly home, accompanied by the unnerving tones of the mirliton pipes.
The Inferno | August Strindberg
On the 27th of March this "mirliton" concert was repeated at Ciceri's, and on this occasion Cherubini took an active part.
Great Violinists And Pianists | George T. Ferris
Trilby singing "Ben Bolt" into a mirliton was a thing to be remembered, whether one would or no!
Trilby | George Du Maurier
To give an account of the “mirliton” is to tell the story of Bruant, the most popular ballad-writer in France to-day.
The Ways of Men | Eliot Gregory

Bruant ran the mirliton on the principle that the less easily pleasure is come by, the more it will be prized.
Nights | Elizabeth Robins Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for mirliton

mirliton

/ (ˈmɜːlɪtɒn) /

noun

another name (chiefly US) for chayote

Origin of mirliton

C19: French, literally: reed pipe, of imitative origin

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

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