Spinet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small keyboard instrument similar to a harpsichord, typically rectangular and with strings plucked to produce sound; a variant form of early piano with compact size and delicate tone; historically used for domestic music-making and practice
2. A compact stringed keyboard instrument resembling a harpsichord, distinct for its size and method of sound production through plucking; a smaller alternative to larger keyboard instruments in early music; commonly played in private homes or smaller venues
3. A diminutive keyboard instrument related to the harpsichord, featuring a plucked string mechanism for musical notes; often used as an accessible keyboard option in the Renaissance and Baroque periods; valued for its portability and intimate sound quality

Etymology: Spinet is a small harpsichord-like keyboard instrument, and its name carries a surprising link to a grove of trees. The Latin "spīnētum" meant a place thick with thorns or spiny bushes, derived from "spīna," a thorn. The Italian "spinetta," the word English borrowed, is the same word applied to the instrument, probably because of the spiny, plucked quills that set its strings vibrating. English "spinney," a small thicket or copse, is a doublet of spinet: both descend from the same Latin "spīnētum," but one passed into English through the countryside and the other through Italian music. The spinney stayed a patch of bushes, while the spinet became an instrument played in drawing rooms.

Synonyms: small harpsichord, keyboard instrument, piano, clavichord