samisen

[ sam-uh-sen ]

/ ˈsæm əˌsɛn /

noun

a guitarlike Japanese musical instrument having an extremely long neck and three strings, played with a plectrum.

Nearby words

samhita, sami, samian, samian ware, samiel, samisen, samite, samiti, samizdat, samkhya, saml.

Origin of samisen

1610–20; < Japanese < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese sānxia three-string banjo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for samisen

Still the samisen tinkled, and still the voice sounded sweet and low and unspeakably pathetic in the apartment.
Myths & Legends of Japan|F. Hadland (Frederick Hadland) Davis
The samisen may not afford music, but it can give expression to the emotional in feeling.
The Yotsuya Kwaidan or O'Iwa Inari|James S. De Benneville
She played the samisen, the kotto, the biwa, and the small hand-drum.
Japanese Fairy Tales|Grace James
One took her samisen and sang; never did I listen to anything sweeter.
Lafcadio Hearn|Nina H. Kennard

The street of the geisha is full of music, for they play the samisen there all day long.
Japanese Fairy Tales|Grace James

British Dictionary definitions for samisen

samisen

/ (ˈsæmɪˌsɛn) /

noun

a variant of shamisen

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