harmonica
A musical wind instrument with a series of holes for the player to blow into, each hole producing a different note.
Noun
- A musical wind instrument with a series of holes for the player to blow into, each hole producing a different note.
- A musical instrument, consisting of a series of hemispherical glasses which, by touching the edges with the dampened finger, give forth the tones.
- A toy instrument of strips of glass or metal hung on two tapes, and struck with hammers.
Origin
From armonica. Coined by American polymath and statesman Benjamin Franklin to refer to his glass harmonica, an instrument that predated the small wind instrument by several decades. Doublet of harmonic; compare Latin harmonicus.
Forms
Synonyms
French harp gob iron harmonicon Mississippi sax mouth harp mouth organ tin sandwich
Derived
glass harmonica harmonica bug harmonicaist harmonicist Pandean harmonica