Clarinet
//ˌklæɹɪˈnɛt// noun
noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A woodwind musical instrument that has a distinctive liquid tone whose characteristics vary among its three registers: chalumeau (low), clarion (medium), and altissimo (high).
- 2 a single-reed instrument with a straight tube wordnet
Example
More examples"Her clarinet squeaked, and the entire audience laughed."
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian clarinetto, diminutive of clarino (“trumpet”) (as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet), from Latin clarus. Alternatively, the word may come from French clarinette, diminutive form of clarine (“bell”), from clarin, from clair (“clear”), from Latin clarus.
Related phrases
More for "clarinet"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.