an African musical instrument consisting of tuned metal strips attached to a resonating box, which are plucked with the thumbs
Also called: thumb piano
Word origin
Shona
mbira in American English
(mˈbɪrə)
noun
a hand-held African musical instrument consisting of a series of metal or wooden strips mounted on a soundboard and, often, having a resonator formed from a gourd: it is played by plucking the strips with the thumbs and forefingers
Word origin
of Afr. origin, prob. from a word in Shona (a Bantu language)