cembalo

cem·ba·lo

C0193600 (chĕm′bə-lō′)n. pl. cem·ba·los A harpsichord.

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[Italian, short for clavicembalo, from Medieval Latin clāvicymbalum : Latin clāvis, key + Latin cymbalum, cymbal; see cymbal.]

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cem′ba·list (-bə-lĭst) n.

cembalo

(ˈtʃɛmbələʊ) n, pl -li (-lɪ) or -los (Instruments) another word for harpsichord[C19: shortened from clavicembalo] ˈcembalist n

harp•si•chord

(ˈhɑrp sɪˌkɔrd)

n. a keyboard instrument, precursor of the piano, in which the strings are plucked by leather or quill points connected with the keys, in common use from the 16th to the 18th century, and revived in the 20th. [1605–15; < New Latin harpichordium (with intrusive -s-). See harp, -i-, chord¹] harp′si•chord`ist, n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

cembalo - a clavier with strings that are plucked by plectra mounted on pivotsharpsichordKlavier, clavier - a stringed instrument that has a keyboardspinet - early model harpsichord with only one string per notepair of virginals, virginal - a legless rectangular harpsichord; played (usually by women) in the 16th and 17th centuries

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