hurdy-gurdy
UK /ˈhɜː.diˌɡɜː.di/ · US /ˈhɝː.diˌɡɝː.di/ noun, adjective
Forms hurdy-gurdies
- noun (music) 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.
- noun (music) Synonym of street organ, often considered a misnomer.
- noun (US, California) A water wheel with radial buckets, driven by the impact of a jet.
- noun (fishing, sailing) A winch, a windlass.
- adjective (humorous) Sounding like the Swedish language.
Synonyms
organistrum wheel fiddle street organ often considered a misnomer barrel organ grind organ hand organ hurdy gurdy
Etymology
Probably onomatopoeic in imitation of the sound produced by the stringed instrument. Compare obsolete hirdy-girdy (“an uproar; noise”). Attested from the 1740s.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A stringled instrument, lutelike in shape, in which the sound is produced by the friction of a wheel turned by a crank at the end, instead of by a bow, two of the strings being tuned as drones, while two or more, tuned in unison, are modulated by keys.
- noun In California, a water wheel with radial buckets, driven by the impact of a jet.
Etymology [Prob. of imitative origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hurdy-gurdy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details