lamellophone

noun

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la·mel·lo·phone | \ lə-ˈme-lə-ˌfōn

variants: or less commonly lamellaphone

plural lamellophones also lamellaphones

Definition of lamellophone

: any of a class of musical instruments (such as the mbira, Jew's harp, or music box) whose sound is generated by plucking flexible tuned tongues of metal, wood, cane, or other material attached at one end to a small board or resonator and plucked with the thumbs or fingers or activated mechanically

— called also linguaphone, thumb piano

— compare aerophone, chordophone, electrophone, idiophone, membranophone