Dictionary.com
definitions

xylophone

[ zahy-luh-fohn ]
/ ˈzaɪ ləˌfoʊn /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR xylophone ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a musical instrument consisting of a graduated series of wooden bars, usually sounded by striking with small wooden hammers.

RELATED CONTENT

Before X Was X: The Dark Horse Story Of The 24th LetterSince its inception, the letter X has struggled to establish its own identity, so it may be no coincidence that X is commonly used to represent the unknown in both language and mathematics. But, how was it created?
READ MORE
“Spring Forward, Fall Back” And Other Memory Tricks You’ve Probably ForgottenMnemonics (named after the Greek goddess of memory) are tricky little linguistic devices used to remember something ... and great mnemonics never go out of fashion. Let's take a look at a few.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

carillon, vibraphone, marimba

Nearby words

  1. xyloid,
  2. xylol,
  3. xylophage,
  4. xylophagous,
  5. xylophilous,
  6. xylophonic,
  7. xylorimba,
  8. xylose,
  9. xylostroma,
  10. xylotomous

Origin of xylophone

First recorded in 1865–70; xylo- + -phone
Related formsxy·lo·phon·ic [zahy-luh-fon-ik] /ˌzaɪ ləˈfɒn ɪk/, adjectivexy·lo·phon·ist [zahy-luh-foh-nist, zahy-lof-uh-nist, zi-] /ˈzaɪ ləˌfoʊ nɪst, zaɪˈlɒf ə nɪst, zɪ-/, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for xylophone

British Dictionary definitions for xylophone

xylophone

/ (ˈzaɪləˌfəʊn) /

noun

music a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars of graduated length. It is played with hard-headed hammers
Derived Formsxylophonic (ˌzaɪləˈfɒnɪk), adjectivexylophonist (zaɪˈlɒfənɪst), noun

Word Origin for xylophone

C19: from xylo- + -phone
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

Word Origin and History for xylophone

xylophone

n.

1866, coined from Greek xylon "wood" + phone "a sound" (see fame (n.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper