ophicleide

[ of-i-klahyd ]
/ ˈɒf ɪˌklaɪd /

noun

a musical wind instrument, a development of the old wooden serpent, consisting of a conical metal tube bent double.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ophicleide

1825–35; < French ophicléide < Greek óphi(s) serpent + kleid- (stem of kleís) key (akin to Latin clavis; see clavicle)

OTHER WORDS FROM ophicleide

oph·i·clei·de·an, adjective

Words nearby ophicleide

opers, opgefok, ophelia, opheltes, ophiasis, ophicleide, ophidian, ophidiid, ophiolatry, ophiolite, ophiolite suite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ophicleide

British Dictionary definitions for ophicleide

ophicleide
/ (ˈɒfɪˌklaɪd) /

noun

music an obsolete keyed wind instrument of bass pitch

Word Origin for ophicleide

C19: from French ophiclēide, from Greek ophis snake + kleis key
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