plectrum

[ plek-truhm ]

/ ˈplɛk trəm /

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noun, plural plec·tra

[plek-truh], /ˈplɛk trə/, plec·trums.

a small piece of plastic, metal, ivory, etc., for plucking the strings of a guitar, lyre, mandolin, etc.

Anatomy, Zoology. an anatomical part resembling a plectrum in shape.

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Origin of plectrum

1620–30; <Latin plēctrum<Greek plêktron

Words nearby plectrum

plebiscite, plebs, plecopteran, plectognath, plectron, plectrum, pled, pledge, pledged delegate, pledgee, Pledge of Allegiance

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

How to use plectrum in a sentence

Plectrum, plek′trum, n. the quill or other form of instrument by which the strings of the Greek lyre were struck.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
The instrument here introduced is the cittern, played with or without a plectrum or quill.
Chaucer for Children|Mrs. H. R. Haweis
It is ornamented in ebony and ivory, and has a plectrum guard inserted in the belly, as in a modern mandoline.
A Popular Handbook to the National Gallery, Volume I, Foreign Schools|Various
Mandolines are partly strung with wire, and are played with a plectrum, indispensable for metal or short strings.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2|Various

He plays as he walks, using both hands, a plectrum being in the right.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for plectrum

plectrum

/ (ˈplɛktrəm) /

noun plural -trums or -tra (-trə)

any implement for plucking a string, such as a small piece of plastic, wood, etc, used to strum a guitar, or the quill that plucks the string of a harpsichord

Word Origin for plectrum

C17: from Latin plēctrum quill, plectrum, from Greek plektron, from plessein to strike

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