: a percussion instrument used especially by dancers that consists of two small shells of hard wood, ivory, or plastic usually fastened to the thumb and clicked together by the other fingers—usually used in plural
Illustration of castanet
castanets
Examples of castanet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThe producer devised it to sound impossibly huge and melodramatic — strings, handclaps, castanets — while Hal Blaine kicked it off with that thunder-clap drum intro.—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024 And an eerie click-clicking of shivering teeth, like castanets.—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024 Percussive footwork was multiplied in tight unison, groups moved in handsome lines and circles, castanets trilled and soloists broke out in displays of expertise.—Brian Seibert, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 As for his toolbox, Metzger used castanets and finger cymbals because they had been used in the song instrumentation.—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023 Children can also experiment with a wall of castanets, play a giant wooden marimba and, just by pushing bellows, make music on a giant air organ patterned after an 1830 design by Thomas Appleton.—Laurel Graeber, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023 The passionate theme begins with some bohemian guitar chords, followed by a beat of castanets merging with the surprising appearance of electric guitar, as well as percussion, güira, and bongos.—Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 16 June 2023 The sea was shamelessly turquoise, the clouds feathery; the palm fronds clacked like castanets.—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023 The country has changed tact, however, for 2023, sending an infectious flamenco throwback which should get everyone shaking their castanets in unison.—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 9 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'castanet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Spanish castañeta, from castaña chestnut, from Latin castanea — more at chestnut
: a rhythm instrument that consists of two small ivory, wood, or plastic shells fastened together and attached to the thumb and clicked together by the fingers—usually used in plural
Etymology
from Spanish castañeta "castanet," from castaña "chestnut"
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