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fife

[fahyf]

Origin

noun

a high-pitched transverse flute used commonly in military and marching musical groups.

verb (used without object), verb (used with object)

to play on a fife.

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to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

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Origin:
1540–50; < German Pfeife pipe¹

Related forms

fif·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

Also called Fife·shire

[fahyf-sheer, -sher] . a historic county in E Scotland.

a region in E Scotland. 336,339; 504 sq. mi. (1305 sq. km).

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To fife

Collins

World English Dictionary

Phyfe or Fife (faɪf)

—n
	Duncan. ?1768--1854, US cabinet-maker, born in Scotland

Fife or Fife

—n

fife (faɪf)

—n
1.	a small high-pitched flute similar to the piccolo and usually having no keys, used esp in military bands

—vb
2.	to play (music) on a fife

[C16: from Old High German pfīfa; see pipe¹]

'fifer

—n

Fife¹ (faɪf)

—n
	a council area and historical county of E central Scotland, bordering on the North Sea between the Firths of Tay and Forth: coastal lowlands in the north and east, with several ranges of hills; mainly agricultural. Administrative centre: Glenrothes. Pop: 352 040 (2003 est). Area: 1323 sq km (511 sq miles)

Fife² (faɪf)

—n
	See Duncan Phyfe Duncan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

fife

1540 (implied in fifer), from Ger. Pfeife "fife, pipe," from O.H.G. pfifa, or via M.Fr. fifre (15c.) from the same O.H.G. word. Ger. musicians provided music for most European courts in those days.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

fife definition

A small flute with a high, piercing tone, used mainly in military bands.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

fife

small transverse (side-blown) flute with six finger holes and a narrow cylindrical bore that produces a high pitch and shrill tone. The modern fife, pitched to the A above middle C, is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long and often has an added E hole covered by a key. Its compass is about two octaves. Fifes of conical bore have also been made since the 19th century.

Learn more about fife with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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"When we are in health, all sounds fife and drum for us; we hear the notes of music in the air, or catch its echoes dying away when we awake in the dawn."

-Henry David Thoreau

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