A mandolin is a musical instrument that looks like a small guitar and has four pairs of strings.
mandolin in British English
or mandoline (ˌmændəˈlɪn)
noun
1.
a plucked stringed instrument related to the lute, having four pairs of strings tuned in ascending fifths stretched over a small light body with a fretted fingerboard. It is usually played with a plectrum, long notes being sustained by the tremolo
2.
a vegetable slicer consisting of a flat stainless-steel frame with adjustable cutting blades
Derived forms
mandolinist (ˌmandoˈlinist)
noun
Word origin
C18: via French from Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandora lute, ultimately from Greek pandoura musical instrument with three strings
mandolin in American English
(ˌmændəˈlɪn; ˈmændəlɪn)
noun
a musical instrument of the lute family, with four to six pairs of strings stretched over a fretted neck and a deep, rounded sound box: it is played with a plectrum, which is moved rapidly back and forth to give a tremolo effect
Derived forms
mandolinist (ˌmandoˈlinist)
noun
Word origin
Fr mandoline < It mandolino, dim. of mandola, mandora < LL pandura, kind of lute < LGr pandoura, prob. < Ar ṭanbur