music box
23
3.1
- noun
- /ˈmjuːzɪk bɑːks/
:
caja de música
- When she turned the key, the music box began to play a gentle lullaby.
- music box played
Examples
-
I wrapped a dirty blouse around the music box and put it in the basket of clothes.
Fiction book (1996) -
When Chloe saw Emma, she closed the inlaid ivory lid of the music box and smiled.
Fiction book (1991) -
Apparently, she found something in a music box he had.
-
I thought you told me the music box was from you.
-
You want me to wind up a music box?
-
Get that music box for me, will you, honey?
-
As soon as the service was over, she picked up her music box and went to her room.
Fiction book (1996) -
Miss Mouse said it was so sad that Miss Banner had lost her music box.
Fiction book (1996) -
It's the music box I gave Regina that my abuelito gave me.
-
Dmitri picks up the music box and looks sadly toward the panel.
Fiction book (1997)
Synonyms
A small box that plays a tune when you wind it
How Loud
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small device that plays music' is directly derivable from combining 'music' (organized sound) with 'box' (a container) — a box associated with music. This noun+noun compounding is a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Music box comes from a small, often pretty box with a wind-up key and a turning drum with little pins that pluck a metal 'comb' to make a tune. Because the sound comes from inside the closed box, music box now means a small mechanical box that 'plays music' when you wind or open it.