clavichord

[ klav-i-kawrd ]

noun

1. an early keyboard instrument producing a soft sound by means of metal blades attached to the inner ends of the keys gently striking the strings.

clavichord

/ ˈklævɪˌkɔːd /

noun

1. a keyboard instrument consisting of a number of thin wire strings struck from below by brass tangents. The instrument is noted for its delicate tones, since the tangents do not rebound from the string until the key is released

Derived Forms

• ˈclaviˌchordist, noun

Other Words From

• clavi·chordist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clavichord¹

1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin clāvichordium, equivalent to Latin clāvi ( s ) key + chord ( a ) chord ² + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of clavichord¹

C15: from Medieval Latin clāvichordium, from Latin clāvis key + chorda string, chord ¹

Example Sentences

A Clavinet looks like an electric keyboard, but it is an electro-mechanical string instrument originally developed for the performance of classical harpsichord and clavichord music.

From Salon

Technological change is in fact the subject of your favorite page, the middle page of a rondo that Bach wrote in 1781 as a farewell to his long-serving clavichord.

From New York Times

She finds new textures in her voice, and its acrobatics are less flashy and more delicate, against an intricate world conjured up out of harps, music boxes and the clavichord.

From The Guardian

They spoke in whispers, ate in silence, recited the rosary three times a day, and even clavichord practice during the heat of siesta time had a funereal echo.

From Literature

Rodney, the protagonist of “Early Music,” purchases an antiquated clavichord that will financially ruin his family.

From New York Times

Related Words

• grand piano
• instrument
• keyboard