Ocarina

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɒkəˈɹiːnə/

Definitions

1. A traditional wind instrument, commonly fashioned from clay, that generates musical tones by blowing air into it and manipulating finger holes for pitch variation
2. A handcrafted device, often resembling a small egg, which creates sound through blown air and allows for pitch changes when fingers cover specific holes
3. A musical instrument resembling a small vessel, typically made of ceramic, that produces sound by blowing air into it and adjusting the pitch via finger holes

Etymology: The ocarina is named for a goose. In Italian, "ocarina" is a diminutive of "oca," meaning goose, so the name literally means "little goose." The instrument's rounded, egg-like body and its beak-shaped mouthpiece suggested the bird to its makers, who gave it the name. The chain of words runs back through Latin "auca," a late form of "avis," the ancient word for bird, which ultimately descends from a Proto-Indo-European root for bird. Italian shaped "oca" from that Latin base, and the diminutive suffix "-ina" turned the goose into a little one. English borrowed the term from Italian, keeping the animal's image intact in the instrument's name.

Synonyms: wind instrument