castanet

noun

cas·​ta·​net ˌka-stə-ˈnet How to pronounce castanet (audio)
: a percussion instrument used especially by dancers that consists of two small shells of hard wood, ivory, or plastic usually fastened to the thumb and clicked together by the other fingers
usually used in plural

Illustration of castanet

Illustration of castanet
  • castanets

Examples of castanet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The producer devised it to sound impossibly huge and melodramatic — strings, handclaps, castanets — while Hal Blaine kicked it off with that thunder-clap drum intro. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2024 And an eerie click-clicking of shivering teeth, like castanets. Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024 Percussive footwork was multiplied in tight unison, groups moved in handsome lines and circles, castanets trilled and soloists broke out in displays of expertise. Brian Seibert, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 As for his toolbox, Metzger used castanets and finger cymbals because they had been used in the song instrumentation. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for castanet 

Word History

Etymology

Spanish castañeta, from castaña chestnut, from Latin castanea — more at chestnut

First Known Use

circa 1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of castanet was circa 1647

Dictionary Entries Near castanet

Cite this Entry

“Castanet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/castanet. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

castanet

noun
cas·​ta·​net ˌkas-tə-ˈnet How to pronounce castanet (audio)
: a rhythm instrument that consists of two small ivory, wood, or plastic shells fastened together and attached to the thumb and clicked together by the fingers
usually used in plural
Etymology

from Spanish castañeta "castanet," from castaña "chestnut"

More from Merriam-Webster on castanet

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!