A clarinet is a musical instrument of the woodwind family in the shape of a pipe. You play the clarinet by blowing into it and covering and uncovering the holes with your fingers.
clarinet in British English
(ˌklærɪˈnɛt)
noun music
1.
a keyed woodwind instrument with a cylindrical bore and a single reed. It is a transposing instrument, most commonly pitched in A or B flat
Obsolete name: clarionet (ˌklærɪəˈnɛt)
2.
an orchestral musician who plays the clarinet
Derived forms
clarinettist (ˌclariˈnettist) or clarinetist (ˌclariˈnetist)
noun
Word origin
C18: from French clarinette, probably from Italian clarinetto, from clarino trumpet
clarinet in American English
(ˌklærəˈnɛt)
noun
a single-reed woodwind instrument with a long wooden or metal tube and a flaring bell, played by means of holes and keys
: also ; Archaic ˌclarioˈnet (ˌklæriəˈnɛt)
Derived forms
clarinetist (ˌclariˈnetist)
noun or ˌclariˈnettist
Word origin
Fr clarinette, dim. of clarine, little bell < ML clario: see clarion