Other forms: cellos
The cello is the big deep-voiced string instrument held between the knees. Play the cello, a cello concerto, learn the cello.
It sits between the viola and the double bass in range, and it rests on a spike called an endpin. It is often said to be the instrument closest to the human voice, which is why it carries so much of the melody in film scores. The plural is cellos. Note cellist, the player, and that the c is pronounced ch — CHEL-oh — because the word is Italian.
1nouncelloA large deep-voiced string instrument played sitting down.
“The cello carries the tune for about the first four minutes.”
cello is a string instrument.
Italian violoncello means little violone — the violone being the large bass viol. So the cello's name means the small version of the big one, and English then shortened it by cutting off the first half, leaving only the diminutive ending.
Italian
violoncello — little violone
English, today
cello
Built from
a clipping of violoncello, the original name, from Italian violoncello (“little violone”), from violone (“an early form of the double bass”) + -cello (“-elle”), violone (“big viola”) itself being derived from viola + -one (“-oon”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA