theremin
noun
the·re·min ˈther-ə-mən 
: a purely melodic electronic musical instrument typically played by moving the hands in the electromagnetic fields surrounding two projecting antennae
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The Garbo movement opens with the sounds of the otherworldly ondes Martenot, a kind of French theremin with a keyboard. 
Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2022 Yet, in last summer’s six-part series, the Norse god of mischief (Tom Hiddleston) is also playing with time, which suggested more unusual sounds: the wailing of a theremin and its equally eerie French cousin, the ondes Martenot. Jon Burlingame, Variety, 5 June 2022 Theremin’s device also inspired Robert Moog, an American inventor who built his own theremin at age 14 by copying drawings found in a hobbyist magazine, per Smithsonian. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2020 The confused cat does not seem to realize it’s playing a theremin—and neither does its feline audience watching the performance in awe. Melissa Locker, Time, 11 Mar. 2020 This meditative piece worked best when the mood was quiet and undulating, especially in the passage in high harmonics near the end, so otherworldly in sound, almost like a theremin. Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020 Before the moon landing, movie music for space travel mostly dealt in fantasy as well, whether with Wagnerian bombast or ghostly theremin. Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2019 While there are few theremin players, Sussman said the instrument has stood the test of time due to its popularity in music and film. Anthony Clark Carpio, latimes.com, 14 June 2019 Last year’s , starring Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong, offers a fictional interpretation of the first moon landing, but the real scene-stealer was a theremin. Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 19 July 2019 See More
Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2022 Yet, in last summer’s six-part series, the Norse god of mischief (Tom Hiddleston) is also playing with time, which suggested more unusual sounds: the wailing of a theremin and its equally eerie French cousin, the ondes Martenot. Jon Burlingame, Variety, 5 June 2022 Theremin’s device also inspired Robert Moog, an American inventor who built his own theremin at age 14 by copying drawings found in a hobbyist magazine, per Smithsonian. Nora Mcgreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2020 The confused cat does not seem to realize it’s playing a theremin—and neither does its feline audience watching the performance in awe. Melissa Locker, Time, 11 Mar. 2020 This meditative piece worked best when the mood was quiet and undulating, especially in the passage in high harmonics near the end, so otherworldly in sound, almost like a theremin. Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2020 Before the moon landing, movie music for space travel mostly dealt in fantasy as well, whether with Wagnerian bombast or ghostly theremin. Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2019 While there are few theremin players, Sussman said the instrument has stood the test of time due to its popularity in music and film. Anthony Clark Carpio, latimes.com, 14 June 2019 Last year’s , starring Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong, offers a fictional interpretation of the first moon landing, but the real scene-stealer was a theremin. Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 19 July 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
modification of Russian termen-voks from Lev Sergeevich Termen (Léon Thérémin) †1993 Russian engineer & inventor + Latin vox voice
First Known Use
1927, in the meaning defined above