Illustration of bagpipe
: a wind instrument consisting of a reed melody pipe and from one to five drones with air supplied continuously either by a bag with valve-stopped mouth tube or by bellows
—often used in plural
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This is a wind instrument that consists of two or more single- or double-reed pipes. The reeds are vibrated by wind caused by arm pressure on a skin or cloth bag. The pipes are held in wooden sockets tied into the bag, which is inflated either by the mouth or by bellows strapped to the body. Melodies are played on the finger holes of the melody pipe, or chanter, while the remaining pipes, or drones, sound single notes. Bagpipes existed by c. 100 ce. The early bag was an animal bladder or a nearly whole sheepskin or goatskin. Bagpipes have always been folk instruments. An important related instrument is the Irish union (or uilleann) pipes.
Examples of bagpipe in a Sentence
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Dyed-in-the-wool Jacobites survive mainly among Americans who attend Highland games and enroll their children in bagpipe classes.
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Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2012
Kalamazoo Pipe Band, a bagpipe band, performs on main stage with Scottish Country Dancers.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 12 Sep. 2024
Brennan walked down the aisle to Irish bagpipes, and the whole crew enjoyed a performance by a Middle Eastern quartet during the cocktail hour.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024
The September sunshine beat down on a group playing bagpipes outside St. Christina Catholic Church, following a service where prayers were offered for the fallen former officer, who everyone called Jim.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2024
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Charles King, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2012
Kalamazoo Pipe Band, a bagpipe band, performs on main stage with Scottish Country Dancers.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 12 Sep. 2024
Brennan walked down the aisle to Irish bagpipes, and the whole crew enjoyed a performance by a Middle Eastern quartet during the cocktail hour.
—Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024
The September sunshine beat down on a group playing bagpipes outside St. Christina Catholic Church, following a service where prayers were offered for the fallen former officer, who everyone called Jim.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bagpipe
Dictionary Entries Near bagpipe
Cite this Entry
“Bagpipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bagpipe. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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