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noun
1.
a high-pitched transverse flute used commonly in military and marching musical groups.
verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
2.
to play on a fife.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
ʃɪər
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To fife
00:10
Fife
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
fife (faɪf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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 | |
| '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 | |
| Phyfe or Fife (faɪf) | |
| —n | |
| Duncan. ?1768--1854, US cabinet-maker, born in Scotland | |
| Fife or Fife | |
| —n | |
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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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
fife definition
A small flute with a high, piercing tone, used mainly in military bands.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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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Example sentences from the web
The county buildings are still used by fife council although few services remain there.
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