rain stick

American  

[rayn stik] / ˈreɪn ˌstɪk /

noun

rain sticks plural

1. a long, hollow wooden tube containing shells, pebbles, or other small, hard objects that fall slowly through pins inside when inverted, causing them to make a sound like rain; used as a percussion instrument or in traditional ceremonies relating to rain.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• rain sticks
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rain stick

There is indeed a frisson of magic in the air at this snowbound airport, and it’s not just from the rain stick that Willa’s been carting around.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

Two guitars, a piano and a rain stick from Indonesia rested against one wall near an array of stone-carved Buddha heads.

From New York Times ● Oct. 15, 2019

But it would completely overwhelm “Svadba-Wedding,” Ana Sokolovic’s intimate a cappella work for six women, whose harmonies are only occasionally punctuated by glockenspiel or rain stick.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2016

Next, the water set off a lever attached to a wooden rain stick, nudging the rain stick to sway back and forth like a lazy seesaw.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser