spinet
noun /spɪˈnet/
/ˈspɪnət/
- a kind of harpsichord (= an early type of musical instrument), played like a pianoTopics Musicc2
- spinet piano/organ (US English) a small piano/electronic organTopics Musicc2
Word Originmid 17th cent.: shortening of obsolete French espinette, from Italian spinetta ‘virginal, spinet’, diminutive of spina ‘thorn’, the strings being plucked by quills.