spinet

[ spin-it ]

noun

1. a small upright piano.
2. a small, square piano.
3. any of various small harpsichords.
4. Also called spinet organ. a small electric organ.

spinet

/ ˈspɪnɪt; spɪˈnɛt /

noun

1. a small type of harpsichord having one manual

Word History and Origins

Origin of spinet¹

1655–65; aphetic variant of obsolete espinette < French < Italian spinetta, probably equivalent to spin ( a ) thorn ( spine ) + -etta diminutive suffix; the existence of an instrument-maker named Spinetti is unverified

Word History and Origins

Origin of spinet¹

C17: from Italian spinetta, perhaps from Giovanni Spinetti, 16th-century Italian maker of musical instruments and its supposed inventor

Example Sentences

Although the previous owner of the spinet piano in Diamond Park has not come forward, the Bernal Heights incident might tease a possible explanation for the appearance of the mysterious instrument.

From Los Angeles Times

The instrument commonly called the "piano" by the way, was originally called a "pianoforte" because it could play dynamics, unlike earlier popular keyboard instruments like the harpsichord and spinet.

From Literature

Automatons have been frog marching, spinet playing, and minuet dancing their way out of the human imagination for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but it wasn't until the machine age of the early twentieth century that robots appeared as thinking, reasoning substitute humans.

From Salon

It was a mahogany spinet, and it was shiny and beautiful.

From Literature

Instruments fill the rooms, including a wooden spinet gifted to Verdi to practise on as a child, while concerts are a regular occurrence.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• grand piano
• instrument
• keyboard