spinet
1
8.9
- noun
- /ˈspɪnɪt/
:
piano de cola
- Her aunt's mother - didn't they call her "Miss Flora"? - played minuets on their ancient spinet and we danced.
- spinet piano
- an old spinet
- play the spinet
Examples
-
We had a little spinet piano in the house, and, you see, I was the baby of the family.
-
The Wurlitzer spinet blasted into their kitchen.
Fiction book (1996) -
You were playing the spinet.
-
An old spinet piano stands in the corner.
Fiction book (1993) -
She taught me how to play on an old spinet.
-
She's been counting on buying rugs and a spinet piano.
Fiction book (1996) -
Of course, now that Shawn had stuffed the secondhand spinet piano into the dollhouse space, there was barely room to turn around.
Fiction book (2000) -
I loved the little white house with the big kitchen and tiny parlor, the old black spinet, the paradise of red-oak woods and pasture.
Fiction book (2001) -
We had a spinet in our parlor on which my two older brothers practiced: one who struggled for perfection with pained eloquence while the other pounded with mechanical vengeance.
Fiction book (1996) -
The old spinet in the living room was perfect for my daily practice.
Synonyms
3
3.0
A piano with vertical strings that takes less space than a grand piano
2
4.9
A piano with strings set vertically so it takes less floor space
How Big
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word spinet comes from the Italian spinetta, from spina meaning 'thorn', because early instruments used small quills to pluck their strings. That's why the name later described small, compact upright pianos that fit easily in the home.