clarinet
/ˌklæɹɪˈnɛt/ noun
Forms clarinets
- noun (music) A woodwind musical instrument that has a distinctive liquid tone whose characteristics vary among its three registers: chalumeau (low), clarion (medium), and altissimo (high).
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian clarinetto, diminutive of clarino (“trumpet”) (as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet), from Latin clarus.
Alternatively, the word may come from French clarinette, diminutive form of clarine (“bell”), from clarin, from clair (“clear”), from Latin clarus.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A wind instrument, blown by a single reed, of richer and fuller tone than the oboe, which has a double reed. It is the leading instrument in a military band.
Etymology [F. clarinette, dim. of clarine, from L. clarus. See Clear, and cf. Clarion.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “clarinet”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details