spinet

[ spin-it ]

/ ˈspɪn ɪt /

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noun

a small upright piano.

a small, square piano.

any of various small harpsichords.

Also called spinet organ. a small electric organ.

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Origin of spinet

1655–65; aphetic variant of obsolete espinette<French <Italian spinetta, probably equivalent to spin(a) thorn (see spine) + -etta diminutive suffix; the existence of an instrument-maker named Spinetti is unverified

Words nearby spinet

spine-chilling, spinel, spineless, spinel ruby, spinescent, spinet, spine-tingling, spin fishing, Spingarn, spiniferous, spinifex

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

How to use spinet in a sentence

A sweet-toned old spinet in good repair stood by the window.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I went into the smoking-room and sat down before the spinet.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I called it a spinet, because it somewhat resembled that instrument, and was played upon in the same manner.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Before the spinet a bench was placed about four feet below the keys, and I was put upon the bench.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift

He coloured furiously, and looked sternly at the page of music lying before him on the spinet.
The Rake's Progress|Marjorie Bowen
She sat down at the spinet and played a little madrigal by Orlando Gibbons that was associated with her earliest childhood.
The Rake's Progress|Marjorie Bowen
In Fig. 89 is seen a beautiful spinet in excellent condition.
Chats on Household Curios|Fred W. Burgess

British Dictionary definitions for spinet

spinet

/ (spɪˈnɛt, ˈspɪnɪt) /

noun

a small type of harpsichord having one manual

Word Origin for spinet

C17: from Italian spinetta, perhaps from Giovanni Spinetti, 16th-century Italian maker of musical instruments and its supposed inventor

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

spinet

Origin of spinet

Words nearby spinet

Words related to spinet

How to use spinet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spinet

Word Origin for spinet