Shawm
//ʃɔːm// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mediaeval double-reed wind instrument with a conical wooden body.
"And all the field is thick with companies Of fair-clothed men that play on shawms and lutes And gather honey of the yellow fruits Between the branches waxen soft and wide"
- 2 a medieval oboe wordnet
Example
More examples"I broke into the storage buildings of a renaissance fair and stole a shawm. I was unable to play it and the bacteria on it made me vomit."
Etymology
From Middle English shalmuse, from Old French chalemel (modern French chalumeau), from Late Latin calamellus, from Latin calamus (“reed”), from Ancient Greek κάλαμος (kálamos). Doublet of caramel, chalumeau, and qalam, as well as related to calame, calamus, culm, and haulm.
Related phrases
More for "shawm"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.