mandolin

man·do·lin

noun \ˌman-də-ˈlin, ˈman-də-lən\

Definition of MANDOLIN

1

: a musical instrument of the lute family that has a usually pear-shaped body and fretted neck and four to six pairs of strings

2

usually mandoline [French, from Italian mandolino mandolin] : a kitchen utensil with a blade for slicing and shredding

— man·do·lin·ist \ˌman-də-ˈli-nist\ noun

Variants of MANDOLIN

man·do·lin also man·do·line \ˌman-də-ˈlēn, ˈman-də-lən\

Illustration of MANDOLIN

Origin of MANDOLIN

Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandola

First Known Use: 1707

Rhymes with MANDOLIN

bathtub gin, bobby pin, born-again, candlepin, catechin, come again, cotter pin, cotton gin, deadly sin, figure in, firing pin, Ho Chi Minh, listen in, listener-in, Lohengrin, loony bin, lying-in, maximin, Mickey Finn, mortal sin, motor inn, ob-gyn, onionskin, palanquin, paper-thin, pelvic fin, rejoice in, rolling pin, rooming-in, safety pin, set foot in, thick and thin, Tianjin, underpin, underspin, Vietminh, violin, whipper-in

mandolin

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Small stringed instrument related to the lute. It evolved in the 17th century in Italy, but its present form was strongly influenced by the 19th-century maker Pasquale Vinaccia (1806–82) of Naples. It has a pear-shaped body with a deeply vaulted back, a short fretted fingerboard, and four pairs of steel strings. (The American folk mandolin is a shallow, flat-backed version.) It is played with a plectrum; each pair of strings is strummed rapidly back and forth to produce a characteristic tremolo.