harpsichord
a keyboard instrument, precursor of the piano, in which the strings are plucked by leather or quill points connected with the keys, in common use from the 16th to the 18th century, and revived in the 20th.
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Origin of harpsichord
1Other words from harpsichord
- harp·si·chord·ist, noun
Words Nearby harpsichord
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use harpsichord in a sentence
Sitting up there at that little spindly-legged organ, he looked enormous, bigger than life, like a gorilla at a harpsichord.
Near by was the harpsichord on which she was about to try it, when it seemed to her that a screen beside her trembled.
The False Chevalier | William Douw LighthallThese were imported into England, and to John Haward is due the credit for the idea of pedals for the harpsichord.
The Old Furniture Book | N. Hudson MooreMadam de Broglie complimented me upon my work, and going to her harpsichord proved to me she had already given it some attention.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete | Jean Jacques RousseauI was transported with joy when I learned from him he could play an accompaniment on the harpsichord.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete | Jean Jacques Rousseau
She possessed several agreeable talents, played the harpsichord, danced well, and wrote pleasing poetry.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete | Jean Jacques Rousseau
British Dictionary definitions for harpsichord
/ (ˈhɑːpsɪˌkɔːd) /
a horizontally strung stringed keyboard instrument, triangular in shape, consisting usually of two manuals controlling various sets of strings plucked by pivoted plectrums mounted on jacks. Some harpsichords have a pedal keyboard and stops by which the tone colour may be varied
Origin of harpsichord
1Derived forms of harpsichord
- harpsichordist, noun
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
Cultural definitions for harpsichord
A stringed keyboard instrument much used in the baroque era in music. The keys of a harpsichord move small devices that pluck the strings; the strings are not struck with hammers, as in a piano. Thus, although harpsichords often look much like pianos, their characteristic tinkly sound is unlike that of the piano, and a harpsichordist cannot change the volume of the sound by striking the keys harder, as a pianist can.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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