dulcimer

English

a hammered dulcimer

Etymology

From Old French doulcemelle, probably from Latin dulce melos (“sweet song”), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “melody, song”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dul‧ci‧mer

Noun

dulcimer (plural dulcimers)

1. A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the hammer dulcimers).

   Coordinate term: zither

   • 1797, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Kubla Khan”, in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems‎^[1], Courier Dover Publications, published 1992, →ISBN, page 59:

     A damsel with a dulcimer / In a vision once I saw: / It was an Abyssinian maid / And on her dulcimer she played, / Singing of Mount Abora.

   • 1947 January 25, “Album Reviews: The Seven Joys of Mary—John: Jacob Niles (Disc 732)”, in The Billboard‎^[2], volume 59, number 4, Nielsen Business Media, →ISSN, page 32:

     Accompanying himself with his dulcimer, a plectrum instrument of his own handicraft, Niles harks back to the balladeers of old.

   • 2004, Madeline MacNeil, You Can Teach Yourself Dulcimer‎^[3], Mel Bay Publications, →ISBN, Introduction, page 4:

     Played traditionally, the dulcimer sounds delightful with drones acenting the melody you are playing.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Appalachian dulcimer (fretted dulcimer, lap dulcimer, dulcimore, mountain dulcimer)
• bowed dulcimer
• dulcijo / banjo dulcimer
• dulcimerist
• electric dulcimer
• hammered dulcimer, hammer dulcimer

Translations

musical instrument

• Basque: tinpano
• Bulgarian: цимбал (cimbal)
• Catalan: saltiri (ca) m, dulcimer m
• Czech: cimbál (cs) m
• Danish: hakkebræt
• Dutch: hakkebord (nl), dulcimer m or f
• Finnish: dulcimer
• French: tympanon (fr) m
• Georgian: ციმბალი (cimbali), წინილი (c̣inili)
• German: Cymbal (de) n, Hackbrett (de) n (hammered dulcimer)
• Greek: σαντούρι (el) n (santoúri)
• Hebrew: דולצ׳ימר (dulčimer)
• Hindi: संतूर (santūr)
• Hungarian: cimbalom (hu)
• Irish: téadchlár m
• Italian: dulcimero m, salterio (it) m
• Manx: kishtey bing m
• Marathi: डल्सिमर m (ḍalsimar)
• Norwegian: hakkebrett
• Polish: cymbały (pl) nvir
• Portuguese: saltério m
• Romanian: țambal (ro) n
• Russian: дульцимер (ru) m (dulʹcimer), цимба́лы (ru) m pl (cimbály)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чимбала f

  Roman: čimbala (sh) f

• Spanish: salterio (es) m, dulcémele m
• Swahili: santuri (sw)
• Swedish: hackbräde (sv), cymbal (sv)
• Turkish: santur (tr)
• Ukrainian: цимбали (uk) (cymbaly)
• Vietnamese: xim-ba-lum

See also

• Appendix:Glossary of chordophones

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian dulcimero.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdulsimer/, [ˈduls̠ime̞r]
• IPA^(key): /ˈdultʃimer/, [ˈdul̪t̪ʃime̞r]
• Syllabification^(key): dul‧ci‧mer

Noun

dulcimer

1. (music) dulcimer (instrument)

Declension

Inflection of dulcimer (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative		dulcimer	dulcimerit
genitive		dulcimerin	dulcimerien dulcimereiden dulcimereitten
partitive		dulcimeria	dulcimereita dulcimereja
illative		dulcimeriin	dulcimereihin
		singular	plural
nominative		dulcimer	dulcimerit
accusative	nom.	dulcimer	dulcimerit
	gen.	dulcimerin
genitive		dulcimerin	dulcimerien dulcimereiden dulcimereitten
partitive		dulcimeria	dulcimereita dulcimereja
inessive		dulcimerissa	dulcimereissa
elative		dulcimerista	dulcimereista
illative		dulcimeriin	dulcimereihin
adessive		dulcimerilla	dulcimereilla
ablative		dulcimerilta	dulcimereilta
allative		dulcimerille	dulcimereille
essive		dulcimerina	dulcimereina
translative		dulcimeriksi	dulcimereiksi
abessive		dulcimeritta	dulcimereitta
instructive		—	dulcimerein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of dulcimer (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative dulcimerini dulcimerini accusative nom. dulcimerini dulcimerini gen. dulcimerini genitive dulcimerini dulcimerieni dulcimereideni dulcimereitteni partitive dulcimeriani dulcimereitani dulcimerejani inessive dulcimerissani dulcimereissani elative dulcimeristani dulcimereistani illative dulcimeriini dulcimereihini adessive dulcimerillani dulcimereillani ablative dulcimeriltani dulcimereiltani allative dulcimerilleni dulcimereilleni essive dulcimerinani dulcimereinani translative dulcimerikseni dulcimereikseni abessive dulcimerittani dulcimereittani instructive — — comitative — dulcimereineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative dulcimerisi dulcimerisi accusative nom. dulcimerisi dulcimerisi gen. dulcimerisi genitive dulcimerisi dulcimeriesi dulcimereidesi dulcimereittesi partitive dulcimeriasi dulcimereitasi dulcimerejasi inessive dulcimerissasi dulcimereissasi elative dulcimeristasi dulcimereistasi illative dulcimeriisi dulcimereihisi adessive dulcimerillasi dulcimereillasi ablative dulcimeriltasi dulcimereiltasi allative dulcimerillesi dulcimereillesi essive dulcimerinasi dulcimereinasi translative dulcimeriksesi dulcimereiksesi abessive dulcimerittasi dulcimereittasi instructive — — comitative — dulcimereinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative dulcimerimme dulcimerimme accusative nom. dulcimerimme dulcimerimme gen. dulcimerimme genitive dulcimerimme dulcimeriemme dulcimereidemme dulcimereittemme partitive dulcimeriamme dulcimereitamme dulcimerejamme inessive dulcimerissamme dulcimereissamme elative dulcimeristamme dulcimereistamme illative dulcimeriimme dulcimereihimme adessive dulcimerillamme dulcimereillamme ablative dulcimeriltamme dulcimereiltamme allative dulcimerillemme dulcimereillemme essive dulcimerinamme dulcimereinamme translative dulcimeriksemme dulcimereiksemme abessive dulcimerittamme dulcimereittamme instructive — — comitative — dulcimereinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative dulcimerinne dulcimerinne accusative nom. dulcimerinne dulcimerinne gen. dulcimerinne genitive dulcimerinne dulcimerienne dulcimereidenne dulcimereittenne partitive dulcimerianne dulcimereitanne dulcimerejanne inessive dulcimerissanne dulcimereissanne elative dulcimeristanne dulcimereistanne illative dulcimeriinne dulcimereihinne adessive dulcimerillanne dulcimereillanne ablative dulcimeriltanne dulcimereiltanne allative dulcimerillenne dulcimereillenne essive dulcimerinanne dulcimereinanne translative dulcimeriksenne dulcimereiksenne abessive dulcimerittanne dulcimereittanne instructive — — comitative — dulcimereinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative dulcimerinsa dulcimerinsa accusative nom. dulcimerinsa dulcimerinsa gen. dulcimerinsa genitive dulcimerinsa dulcimeriensa dulcimereidensa dulcimereittensa partitive dulcimeriaan dulcimeriansa dulcimereitaan dulcimerejaan dulcimereitansa dulcimerejansa inessive dulcimerissaan dulcimerissansa dulcimereissaan dulcimereissansa elative dulcimeristaan dulcimeristansa dulcimereistaan dulcimereistansa illative dulcimeriinsa dulcimereihinsa adessive dulcimerillaan dulcimerillansa dulcimereillaan dulcimereillansa ablative dulcimeriltaan dulcimeriltansa dulcimereiltaan dulcimereiltansa allative dulcimerilleen dulcimerillensa dulcimereilleen dulcimereillensa essive dulcimerinaan dulcimerinansa dulcimereinaan dulcimereinansa translative dulcimerikseen dulcimeriksensa dulcimereikseen dulcimereiksensa abessive dulcimerittaan dulcimerittansa dulcimereittaan dulcimereittansa instructive — — comitative — dulcimereineen dulcimereinensa