cello

¹

[ chel-oh ]

noun

, plural cel·los.

1. the second largest member of the violin family, rested vertically on the floor between the performer's knees when being played.

cello

²

[ sel-oh ]

noun

, Informal.

1. cellophane.

cello

/ ˈtʃɛləʊ /

noun

1. music a bowed stringed instrument of the violin family. Range: more than four octaves upwards from C below the bass staff. It has four strings, is held between the knees, and has an extendible metal spike at the lower end, which acts as a support Full namevioloncello

cello

1. An instrument in the violin family, known for its rich tone. Among the strings , or stringed instruments, the cello has the second-lowest range, higher only than the bass viol , and it has the lowest part in string quartets . Cellists hold the instrument between their knees to play it. Cello is short for violoncello .

Derived Forms

• ˈcellist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cello¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for violoncello

Origin of cello²

By shortening

Example Sentences

The Russian rocket that landed in Ukraine two years ago but did not explode has been hollowed out and with its explosive components replaced by a bow from a cello.

From BBC

Not bad for a middle-class kid from southwestern London who grew up playing cello in school and singing in a choir but who had no real plans to turn professional.

From Los Angeles Times

The solo cello does not stand out in the way the violin does in “Altar de Cuerda.”

From Los Angeles Times

“But this was a s— ton of human performance”: people plucking guitars, people blowing saxophones, people sawing away at cellos and violins.

From Los Angeles Times

It also dovetails with an aggressive anti-intellectualism: One would no more expect a Republican politician to speak a foreign language than to play the cello.

From Salon