spinet

Definitions

Probably from Latin spīna 'thorn': the strings of this small keyboard were plucked by little quill points — tiny thorn-like spikes. (An alternative story credits a maker named Spinetti.) Either way, picture small sharp pluckers, and the diminutive ending marks it as a small instrument.

Why It Means This

The likely link to spīna is the plucking mechanism: each string was sounded by a sharp little quill, like a thorn. The word later loosened to mean any small, space-saving keyboard — which is why a 20th-century 'spinet piano' just means a short upright, with no quills at all.

Common Collocations

• 1.antique spinet古董小古钢琴
• 2.play the spinet弹奏小型古钢琴
• 3.spinet piano小型立式钢琴

Example Sentences

• 1.

  She inherited an antique spinet from her grandmother.

• 2.

  The composer wrote these pieces for spinet and recorder.

• 3.

  Their living room had just enough space for a spinet piano.