dulcimer

dul·ci·mer

noun \ˈdəl-sə-mər\

Definition of DULCIMER

1

: a stringed instrument of trapezoidal shape played with light hammers held in the hands

2

or dul·ci·more \-ˌmȯr\ : an American folk instrument with three or four strings stretched over an elongate fretted sound box that is held on the lap and played by plucking or strumming

Origin of DULCIMER

Middle English dowcemere, from Middle French doulcemer, from Old Italian dolcimelo, from dolce sweet, from Latin dulcis

First Known Use: 15th century

dulcimer

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Stringed musical instrument in which the strings are beaten with small hammers rather than plucked. Its soundbox is flat and usually trapezoidal; each pair of strings produces a single note, and the pairs slope upward alternately left and right to facilitate rapid playing. The Hungarian cimbalom is a large dulcimer with legs and a damper pedal, much used in Roma (Gypsy) orchestras. The Appalachian dulcimer is a narrow zither with a fretted fingerboard and three to five strings, which are stopped with one hand and plucked with a plectrum held in the other.

Variants of DULCIMER

dulcimer or hammered dulcimer