SPINET


Meaning of SPINET in English

/ spɪˈnet; NAmE ˈspɪnət/ noun

1.

a kind of harpsichord (= an early type of musical instrument), played like a piano

2.

spinet piano / organ ( US ) a small piano / electronic organ

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WORD ORIGIN

mid 17th cent.: shortening of obsolete French espinette , from Italian spinetta virginal, spinet, diminutive of spina thorn, the strings being plucked by quills.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.