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Glite Dictionary
💃 A lively dance 🎶 Dance music 🎵 A reed instrument
hornpipe

hornpipe

9.9
An old wind instrument made from bone or horn with one reed
  • noun
  • /ˈhɔrnˌpaɪp/
  • Archaic
translation icon : hornpipe
  • During the festival, a talented performer demonstrated how to play the hornpipe using traditional techniques.

Examples

  • Cory began to play a hornpipe, strident and out of tune.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The musician skillfully played the hornpipe, captivating the audience with its ancient melodies.

  • Although now rare, the hornpipe was once a cherished instrument among musicians for its unique sound.

Synonyms

stockhorn
vshornpipe
  • Archaic
9.9

An old wind instrument with a single reed often made from bone that people no longer use

is not limited to bone and includes other animal materials
pibgorn
vshornpipe
  • Archaic
9.9

A small ancient musical instrument with one reed, often made from bone

is broader in material and allows other animal materials besides bone

Surface Forms

hornpipe singular
hornpipes plural

Morphology

hornpipe = horn + pipe (transparent) = horn + pipe

The instrument sense is a straightforward compound meaning a pipe made from or resembling horn; the components directly indicate the object.

Etymology

Hornpipe originally meant a simple woodwind made by fitting a reed into an horn ('animal horn') to make a pipe ('tube you play'). Because the instrument was literally a pipe of horn, the word first named the instrument and later the music and dance played with it.