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mandolin

UK/ˈmændə(ˌ)lɪn/US/ˈmændə(ˌ)lɪn/
nounC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #10,773 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: mandolins

A mandolin is a small round-backed instrument with paired strings. Play the mandolin, a bluegrass mandolin, tune the mandolin.

The strings come in pairs tuned together, which is what gives the ringing sound, and it is played with a plectrum and often tremolo, since a plucked note dies quickly. It is tuned like a violin, so fiddlers can pick it up quickly.

Angelo Mannello · CC0

Definitions of mandolin

  1. 1nounmandolinA small round-backed instrument with paired strings.C1

    “He played a lively tune on the mandolin while his sister sang.”

mandolin is an instrument.

Where it comes from

Italian mandolino is a diminutive of mandola, a larger instrument of the lute family.

  1. Italian

    mandolino

  2. French

    mandoline

  3. English, today

    mandolin

From French mandoline, from Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandola, a large stringed instrument.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Music & Instruments

Practise this word

mandolin in the wild

  • A mandolin is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick.

    Mandolin

  • There are many styles of mandolin, but the three most common types are the Neapolitan or round-backed mandolin, the archtop mandolin and the flat-backed mandolin.

    Mandolin

  • A mandoline (US, ) or mandolin, is a culinary utensil used for slicing and for cutting juliennes; with suitable attachments, it can make crinkle-cuts.

    Mandoline

  • Uppalapu Srinivas was an Indian mandolin player in Carnatic classical music and composer.

    U. Srinivas

  • Gibson was an American luthier who founded the Gibson Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1902, makers of guitars, mandolins and other instruments.

    Orville Gibson

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.