sackbut

[ sak-buht ]

/ ˈsækˌbʌt /

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noun

a medieval form of the trombone.

Bible. an ancient stringed musical instrument. Daniel 3.

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Origin of sackbut

First recorded in 1530–40; Early Modern English sagbut, sagbot, sagbout, from Middle French saquebute, from Old North French saqueboute, saquebot(t)e originally, a kind of hooked lance, equivalent to saquier “to pull” + (possibly) bouter “to push”; see origin at saccade, butt³

Words nearby sackbut

Sachs, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, sack, sackable, sackbut, sackcloth, sackcloth and ashes, sack coat, sack dress, sacker

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

How to use sackbut in a sentence

In one place he is merely called a Minstrel, but in the other he is specifically described as a Sackbut.
The Privy Purse Expenses of King Henry VIII from November MDXXIX, to December MDXXXII|Nicholas Harris Nicolas
He can play any musical instrument from a sackbut to a Jew's harp, and speak any language from Czech to Choctaw.
The Sixth Sense|Stephen McKenna
But she recovered rapidly after her marriage, her eyes grew brighter, we saw less of Sackbut's "delicious skeleton."
Certain Personal Matters|H. G. Wells
Among them are the Psaltery of various shapes, the Sambuca or sackbut, the single and double Chorus, &c.
Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages|Edward Lewes Cutts

At last one day he remembered the walnut which Sackbut had given him.
The Blue Rose Fairy Book|Maurice Baring

British Dictionary definitions for sackbut

sackbut

/ (ˈsækˌbʌt) /

noun

a medieval form of trombone

Word Origin for sackbut

C16: from French saqueboute, from Old French saquer to pull + bouter to push; see butt ³: used in the Bible (Daniel 3) as a mistranslation of Aramaic sabb'ka stringed instrument

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