Word of the Day Archive
Friday August 24, 2012
concertina \kon-ser-TEE-nuh\
, verb:
1. To fold, crush together, or collapse in the manner of a concertina: The car concertinaed when it hit the truck.
2. To cause to fold or collapse in the manner of a concertina.
noun:
1. A musical instrument resembling an accordion but having buttonlike keys, hexagonal bellows and ends, and a more limited range.
2. Concertina wire.
Monk is so tall his knees seem to concertina against the dashboard.
-- Michael Robotham, Shatter
As Henderson looked down at his hands, the folds of skin on his face seemed to concertina into a soft place for his chin to rest.
-- Jacquelin Winspear, A Lesson in Secrets
A concertina was named by the inventor who made the instrument, Charles Wheatstone, in 1837. It was first used as a verb in the early 1900s.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for concertina
