spinet

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“
But this appeared extremely difficult: for the spinet was near sixty feet long, each key being almost a foot wide, so that with my arms extended I could not reach to above five keys, and to press them down required a good smart stroke with my fist, which would be too great a labour, and to no purpose.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun A small, compact upright piano.
  2. noun A small, compact upright electronic organ.
  3. noun A small harpsichord with a single keyboard.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (3)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • They seemed to sit an eternity over that before deciding to move to the adjoining music room, which was graced with a pianoforte as well as a spinet, a harp, and a violin. —  Mary Balogh - Daring Masquerade.html
  • The noise was replaced by the sound of a spinet, an odd sound for such a masculine establishment. —  Title here
  • In the next room Mrs Tipp played her spinet, the notes tinkling and bright. —  Title here
  • The answer was a discord played on the spinet, a sound that made both men turn round. —  Title here
  • Later he turned pages for Honor while she played the spinet, and fetched her tea when she was finished. —  Mary Balogh - An Unacceptable Offer
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This word has been looked up 118 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Obsolete French espinette, from Italian spinetta, perhaps diminutive of spīna, thorn (presumably so called because the strings of the original instrument were plucked with quills); see spinel.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Latin spinetum, a thicket of thorns, from spina, a thorn, spine: see spine. Cf. Old French spinat, French dial. épinat, a thicket of thorns; and see spinney.
  2. Formerly also spinnet, espinette; = Dutch spinet = G. Swedish spinett = Danish spinet, from Old French espinette, French épinette = Spanish Portuguese espineta, from Italian spinetta, a spinet, or pair of virginals (said to be so called because struck with a pointed quill), from spinetta, a point, spigot, etc., diminutive of spina, a thorn, from Latin spina, a thorn: see spine.
 

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/ˈspɪnɛt/
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