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plectrum

[ plek-truhm ]

noun

, plural plec·tra [plek, -tr, uh], plec·trums.
  1. a small piece of plastic, metal, ivory, etc., for plucking the strings of a guitar, lyre, mandolin, etc.
  2. Anatomy, Zoology. an anatomical part resembling a plectrum in shape.


plectrum

/ ˈplɛktrəm /

noun

  1. any implement for plucking a string, such as a small piece of plastic, wood, etc, used to strum a guitar, or the quill that plucks the string of a harpsichord
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of plectrum1

1620–30; < Latin plēctrum < Greek plêktron
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Word History and Origins

Origin of plectrum1

C17: from Latin plēctrum quill, plectrum, from Greek plektron, from plessein to strike
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Example Sentences

Plectrum, plek′trum, n. the quill or other form of instrument by which the strings of the Greek lyre were struck.

The instrument here introduced is the cittern, played with or without a plectrum or quill.

It is ornamented in ebony and ivory, and has a plectrum guard inserted in the belly, as in a modern mandoline.

Mandolines are partly strung with wire, and are played with a plectrum, indispensable for metal or short strings.

He plays as he walks, using both hands, a plectrum being in the right.

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