spinet en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈspɪn.ɪt/ (US)
- /spɪˈnɛt/ (UK)
- (US) audio
- /ˈspɪn.ɪt/ (UK)
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian spinetta.
Meanings
-
A short, compact harpsichord or piano.
He gazed around until on the lid of a spinet he spotted a promising collection of bottles, gin, whiskey, vermouth and sherry, mixed with violin bows, a flute, a toppling pile of books, six volumes of Grove's Dictionary mingled with paperback thrillers, a guitar without any strings, a pair of binoculars, a meerschaum pipe and a jar half-full of wasps and apricot jam.
1956, Delano Ames, chapter 14, in Crime out of Mind:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| spinets | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| spinnet | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Translations (19)
de Spinett (short, compact harpsichord) · bg клавесин (short, compact harpsichord) · pl szpinet (short, compact harpsichord) · ca espineta (short, compact harpsichord) · cs spinet (short, compact harpsichord) · fi spinetti (short, compact harpsichord) · it spinetta (short, compact harpsichord) · ro spinetă (short, compact harpsichord) · es espineta (short, compact harpsichord) · pt espineta (short, compact harpsichord) · ru спине́т (short, compact harpsichord) · tl espineta (short, compact harpsichord) · hu spinét (short, compact harpsichord) · no spinett (short, compact harpsichord) · io espineto (short, compact harpsichord) · oc espineta (short, compact harpsichord) · sv spinett (short, compact harpsichord) · mk спине́та (short, compact harpsichord) · fr épinette (short, compact harpsichord)