hurdy-gurdy
A stringed instrument that produces a droning sound by turning a handle that connects…A stringed instrument that produces a droning sound by turning a handle that connects to a wheel that rubs against a rosined string, with a keyboard also used to alter the pitch of the string.
Meaning
4 sensesA stringed instrument that produces a droning sound by turning a handle that connects to a wheel that rubs against a rosined string, with a keyboard also used to alter the pitch of the string.
Leier, Drehleier
колёсная ли́раkoljósnaja líra
a stringed instrument that produces sounds by means of a wheel that rubs against the strings
Synonym of street organ, often considered a misnomer.
(California, US)A water wheel with radial buckets, driven by the impact of a jet.
A winch, a windlass.
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Probably onomatopoeic in imitation of the sound produced by the stringed instrument. CompaProbably onomatopoeic in imitation of the sound produced by the stringed instrument. Compare obsolete hirdy-girdy (“an uproar; noise”). Attested from the 1740s.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: hurdy-gurdies| Singular | hurdy-gurdy |
|---|---|
| Plural | hurdy-gurdies |
regular
Synonyms
5 synonyms- a stringed instrument that produces sounds by means of a wheel that rubs against the strings:hurdy gurdywheel fiddle
Word family
1 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.