Clavecin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical stringed musical instrument similar to a harpsichord, known for its distinctive sound produced by plucking the strings
2. An early keyboard instrument that generates sound by means of strings being plucked, producing a bright and resonant tone
3. A type of clavecin that serves as a pivotal instrument in Baroque music settings, characterized by its plucked strings and ornate construction

Etymology: The clavecin is a keyboard instrument that predates the piano, and its name is a compound of two Latin-derived parts. In French, "clavecin" combines "clavier" (keyboard, from Latin "clavis", key) with "cymbalum", a term for a stringed instrument, and the result was the harpsichord, which English borrowed under its French name. The word entered English from French as a specialist term for this instrument, and it still appears in English mainly in historical and musicological writing, where it means the same plucked-string keyboard instrument as "harpsichord".

Synonyms: harpsichord