xylophone

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
“
It appears that the xylophone was played in Germany as early as the beginning of the 16th century.

View all »
Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A percussion instrument consisting of a mounted row of wooden bars graduated in length to sound a chromatic scale, played with two small mallets.
  2. Word History
    Alphabet books for children frequently feature the word xylophone because it is one of the few words beginning with x that a child (or most adults, for that matter) would know. The majority of English words beginning with x, including many obscure scientific terms, are of Greek origin, the x, pronounced (z), representing the Greek letter xi. In the case of xylophone, xylo- is a form meaning "wood,” derived from Greek xulon, "wood,” and -phone represents Greek phōnē, "voice, sound,” the same element found in words such as telephone, microphone, and megaphone. Our famous x word is first recorded in the April 7, 1866, edition of the Athenaeum: "A prodigy ... who does wonderful things with little drumsticks on a machine of wooden keys, called the 'xylophone.'”

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

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

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • Kanzi plays the xylophone, using both hands he enthusiastically accompanies Dr. Sue's singing. —  Susan Savage-Rumbaugh on apes
  • He had a dingy PowerBook attached to straps around his shoulders like a xylophone or something. —  Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
  • "Sparzxx" is a beatific blend of xylophone, stomping Phil Spector beats and modern-day lo-fi.
  • Using everything from acoustic / bass guitars, keyboards and electronic beats to horns and the occasional xylophone, the melodies are cryptic and grab your attention in that great way you can't fully explain. —  Faronheit
  • The percussion section contains a variety of instruments, including four kettledrums, and such instruments as the chimes, xylophone, triangle, and cymbals.
More examples »
 

Tags

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 206 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Etymologies (1)

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Greek ξύλον, wood, + φωνή, voice.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/ˈzaɪləfoʊn/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about twice a year.

Recently looked up

away · encrypt · sun-dried · aerosol · dazzle

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

eu oi oìa u ou e u oìa · the octopi are dry · Kansas City · spell it rite · put it in your pocket