music box

noun

1. a box or case containing an apparatus for producing music mechanically, as by means of a comblike steel plate with tuned teeth sounded by small pegs or pins in the surface of a revolving cylinder or disk.

music box

noun

1. a mechanical instrument that plays tunes by means of pins on a revolving cylinder striking the tuned teeth of a comblike metal plate, contained in a box

Word History and Origins

Origin of music box¹

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Our next stop was Culver City, where he gave me a music box that played “Edelweiss.”

From Los Angeles Times

There, in the Morris Museum’s collection of mechanical musical instruments and automata, is a music box from around 1877.

From New York Times

But the insistence on its importance — it shows up instrumentally, and in its vocal form, and even in a music box as a ballerina twirls around — struck me as a perfect précis for the film.

From New York Times

The woman shrugged, then retrieved a music box from a bottom shelf.

From Literature

One features a character giving himself a shave, the daily task treated as if it’s a delicate dance atop a music box.

From Los Angeles Times