dulcimer
UK /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mə/ · US /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/ noun
Forms dulcimers
- noun A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the hammer dulcimers).
Etymology
From Old French doulcemelle, probably from Latin dulce melos (“sweet song”), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “melody, song”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [It. dolcemele,r Sp. dulcemele, fr. L. dulcis sweet + melos song, melody, Gr. doulcemele. See Dulcet, and Melody.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dulcimer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details