or ‧ ches ‧ tra /ˈɔːkəstrə, ˈɔːkɪstrə $ ˈɔːr-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: Greek , from orcheisthai 'to dance' ]
1 . [ countable also + plural verb British English ] a large group of musicians playing many different kinds of instruments and led by a ↑ conductor :
the Berlin Symphony Orchestra
the school orchestra
2 . orchestra section/seats American English the area of seats in a theatre close to and on the same level as the stage
• • •
THESAURUS
■ parts of an orchestra
▪ the wind/woodwind section the instruments such as ↑ flute s , ↑ clarinet s , and ↑ saxophone s
▪ the strings/the string section the instruments that have strings, for example ↑ violin s
▪ the brass/the brass section the instruments made of metal that you blow through, for example ↑ trumpet s
▪ the percussion/the percussion section the instruments such as drums and ↑ tambourine s