piano wiren.
/pɪˈanəʊ ˌwʌɪə/, U.S. /piˈænoʊ ˌwaɪ(ə)r/ 1. Wire, generally of steel, of the type used for the strings of pianos.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > keyboard instrument > stringed keyboards > [noun] > pianoforte > strings > material for
pianoforte wire1785
piano wire1806
1806 Belfast Commerc. Chron. 14 Apr. 3/1 Robert & John Hodgson..have received a supply of new music and musical instruments, among which are Clarionets, German Flutes, with one, four, six, and eight Keys; Roman Fiddle Strings, of a superior Quality; Piano Wire, &c.
1856 Statist. Information Industry in Massachusetts 260 Piano Wire, 1½ ton.
1874 Democrat (Lima, Ohio) 11 June Piano wire was used in making the soundings, and also a patent reel.
1955 W. Gaddis Recognitions i. iv. 161 All you got to do is get them dumb cops on their motorcycles, and string a good piece of piano wire across the road.
1977 Sci. Amer. Oct. 74/3 These light-weight gliders gave MacCready the idea of using an aluminum-tube skeleton braced with piano wire.
1991 Model Railways Mar. 13/2 The PCB slider is activated by piano wire on a bush fixed to a coreless motor.
2. As a count noun: a length of such wire.
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1874 Indiana (Pa.) Progress 19 Nov. The coils of piano wires thus sprinkled [sc. with unslacked lime] will keep from rust many years.
1888 Science 2 Nov. 210/1 The process is also applied to a number of springs besides those for watches, including piano-wires.
1938 J. Williamson Surveying & Field Work (ed. 2) xvii. 430 Two heavy weights are suspended by five piano wires from an overhead frame.
1991 R. R. McCammon Boy's Life i. i. 13 Around his throat was knotted a copper piano wire, the thin metal pulled so tightly that the flesh had split open.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1806