Instruments definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

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Definitions (40)

American Heritage Dictionary (9)

noun A means by which something is done; an agency.
noun One used by another to accomplish a purpose; a dupe.
noun An implement used to facilitate work. See Synonyms at tool.

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Century Dictionary (20)

Something that serves as a means to the effecting of an end; anything that contributes to the production of an effect or the accomplishment of a purpose; a means; an agency. Then wash all the instruments of the sences, as the eies, the ears, the nostrils, the mouth, the tongue, the teeth, and all the face, with cold water. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 255. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but … as instruments of righteousness unto God. Rom. vi. 13. The lowly classes, clouded by despair, were driven sometimes to admit the terrible thought that religion, which is the poor man's consolation and defence, might after all be but an instrument of government in the hands of their oppressors. Bancroft, Hist. Const., II. 366. Intellect is not a power, but an instrument—not a thing which itself moves and works, but a thing which is moved and worked by forces behind it. H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 382.
Specifically Something used to produce a mechanical effect; a contrivance with which to perform mechanical work of any kind; a tool, implement, utensil, or machine. Sound all the lofty instruments of war, And by that music let us all embrace. Shak., 1 Hen. IV., v. 2, 98. The agriculture appeared to me extremely good, the instruments very clumsy. Sydney Smith, To Mrs. Sydney Smith. Among their instruments [in the Hippocratic era] were forceps, probes, directors, syringes, rectal speculum, catheter, and various kinds of cautery. Encyc. Brit., XXII. 674.
Specifically In music, a mechanical contrivance or apparatus for producing musical sounds—that is, for setting up, either in a solid body or in a confined body of air, vibrations sufficiently rapid, regular, and definite to produce tones systematically related to one another. An instrument involves a vibration-producing agency, a vibratile body, usually a resonator of some kind, and various appliances for regulating the pitch, the force, the duration, and often the quality of the tones produced. Instruments may be grouped by reference to any one of these characteristics. Thus, with respect to the vibration-producing agency, they are— inflatile, blown by the breath, as a flute; by mechanically compressed air, as an organ or a concertina; or by the wind, as an æolian harp; percussive or pulsatile, struck together, as cymbals; by a hammer, as a pianoforte, a bell, or a drum; or by the hand, as a tambourine; plucked, pulled aside and then released, as the strings of a harp or guitar, or the teeth of a music-box; fricative, rubbed by the finger, as musical glasses; by a bow (bow-instruments), as a violin and its many relatives; or by a wheel, as a hurdy-gurdy. Again, with respect to the vibratile body, instruments are— pneumatic, as the foundation-stops in a pipe-organ; stringed, as a harp, a violin, or a pianoforte; tongued or reed, as an oboe, a clarinet, or a reed-organ (properly all the metal wind-instruments belong here); tympanic, as a drum or a tambourine; vibrating entire, as a bell or a tuning-fork. The resonators used are various, and difficult of classification. Again, with respect to the means of fixing the desired pitch of the tone, instruments are— of fixed intonation, as the lyre, which has a separate string for each tone desired; the pianoforte and organ (keyed instruments), which are fitted with keys or levers to determine which of several vibratile bodies shall be used; the guitar, which is fitted with frets over which the strings can be shortened; the flute, which has finger-holes by stopping which the effective length of the vibrating column of air can be altered; the cornet-à-pistons, which has valves by which the air-column can be supplemented; or the trombone, the tube of which slides into itself, etc.; harmonic, producing the tones of a harmonic scale according to the method of blowing, as the horn, trumpet, etc.; of free intonation, as the violin and its relatives, on which (although the strings are first tuned to fixed pitches) the player may produce any conceivable gradation of pitch. Instruments may also be grouped as— solo, melodic, producing usually but one tone at a time, as a violin, a flute, a horn, etc.; concerted, harmonic, polyphonic, producing many tones at once, as a pianoforte, an organ, a harp, a lute, etc. Finally, they may be grouped as— popular, used for comparatively crude music; or orchestral, developed into great perfection of form, and applied to the performance of highly artistic music, especially in orchestral combination. Popular instruments everywhere belong to the classes represented by the pipe, the harp, the lute, the drum, and the cymbals. The modern orchestra is composed of the following classes: Stringed, including violins, violas, violoncellos, bass viols, and harps; wood wind, including flutes, oboes, English horns, clarinets, bassoons; brass wind, including French horns, trumpets (cornets), trombones, ophicleides, etc.; percussive, including tympani, long drums, triangles, etc. For an account of the human voice as a musical instrument, see voice. In that place was had ful gret mynstracy; Both hye and bas instrumentes sondry. Rom. of Partenay (E. E. T. S.), l. 945. Tantrum Clangley,—a place long celebrated for the skill of its inhabitants as performers on instruments of percnssion. T. Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree, v. 2.

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Except for the Wide Field and Planetary Camera, which we replaced with the state-of-the-art instrument, the other instruments are a decade old or more. — Omni: August 1994
Your instruments are the knout and the caress Nealy watched the girl and the mister with lack of interest, then turned his attention back to the rag doll he had been playing with. — F ;SF - vol 088 issue 03 - March 1995
The instrument panel had a full blind flight group, and the instruments were as good as they come. — 148 - The Terrible Stork
In the latter part of the same month I noticed several times that my instruments were affected stronger by discharges taking place at great distances than by those near by. — Prodigal genius - Tesla Biography
The music sounds and feels passionate, the instruments are are beautiful. — BBQCHICKENROBOT

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