Mandolas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A stringed musical instrument resembling a lute, typically with a pear-shaped body and played by plucking its strings
2. An instrument of the lute family, often characterized by its round body and fretted neck, used in various musical genres
3. A traditional instrument known for its bright, sharp sound, commonly used in folk and classical music throughout Europe

Etymology: "Mandolas" is the plural of "mandola," a larger relative of the mandolin, which places it in the same family of instruments as the lute. The singular "mandola" was borrowed from Italian, where it denotes this lower-pitched instrument tuned in fifths, and it is a doublet of "pandura," meaning the two words descend from the same ancestor but reached English by different routes. The older form, "pandura," points back to the long-necked lutes of the ancient Mediterranean world, and the shorter, rounder Italian name settled on the instrument that became the mandolin family.

Synonyms: mandolin