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hurdy-gurdy

 - 3 dictionary results
Handcrafted Hurdy Gurdies
fine handcrafted hurdy gurdies made in USA by George Leverett
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hur⋅dy-gur⋅dy

  [hur-dee-gur-dee, -gur-]
Use hurdy-gurdy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -gur⋅dies.
1. a barrel organ or similar musical instrument played by turning a crank.
2. a lute- or guitar-shaped stringed musical instrument sounded by the revolution against the strings of a rosined wheel turned by a crank.
Origin:
1740–50; var. of Scots hirdy-girdy uproar, influencedby hurly-burly

Related forms:
hurdy-gurdist, hur⋅dy-gur⋅dy⋅ist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hurdy-gurdy
Handcrafted Hurdy Gurdies
fine handcrafted hurdy gurdies made in USA by George Leverett
www.altarwind.com
Hurdy-gurdy on Sale
Great bargains on Hurdy-gurdy - Shop online & save up to 42% now!
www.best-price.com/Hurdy-gurdy
hur·dy-gur·dy   (hûr'dē-gûr'dē, hûr'dē-gûr'dē)   
n.   pl. hur·dy-gur·dies

  1. A medieval stringed instrument played by turning a rosined wheel with a crank and depressing keys connected to tangents on the strings.

  2. Any instrument, such as a barrel organ, played by turning a crank.


[Imitative.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

hurdy-gurdy 
1749, perhaps imitative of its sound and influenced by c.1500 hirdy-girdy "uproar, confusion."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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