cello
UK /ˈtʃɛləʊ/ · US /ˈt͡ʃɛloʊ/ noun
Forms cellos celli 'cello
- noun A large unfretted stringed instrument of the violin family with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) C-G-D-A and an endpin to support its weight, usually played with a bow.
- noun cellophane
Synonyms
Etymology
Clipping of violoncello, the original name, from Italian violoncello (“little violone”), from violone (“an early form of the double bass”) + -cello (“-elle”, forming diminutives), violone (“big viola”) itself being derived from viola + -one (“-oon”, forming augmentatives).
Shortening of cellophane.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A contraction for Violoncello.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cello”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details