concertina

noun

con·​cer·​ti·​na ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈtē-nə How to pronounce concertina (audio)
1
: a musical instrument of the accordion family
2

Illustration of concertina

Illustration of concertina
  • concertina 1

Examples of concertina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Leon directs the piece for the Roundabout Theatre Company quite beautifully, expanding out Cephus’ world like a concertina on Amulfo Maldonado’s set, dominated by agrarian crops and the other nomenclature of the rural South in the late 1950s. Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 5 June 2024 As part of a broader, multi-billion-dollar campaign known as Operation Lone Star, Abbott has instructed state National Guard troops to put up concertina and razor wire, as well as other barriers, along parts of Texas' border with Mexico. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024 In response to some of the OLS efforts, the Biden administration ordered the destruction of the concertina barriers and sued over the marine barriers. Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 Why had nobody seen before that a caterpillar is like a concertina? Lori Oliwenstein, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 His father played the accordion and concertina, and Mr. MacGowan was performing publicly at 3 after a family audition. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023 In Morris dancing, a folk form performed to live music (fiddles, concertinas, melodeons), movements can be discrete or dramatic, from rhythmic stepping and one-legged hops to gentle gestures. Genevieve Marks, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023 This is why, when on March 22, as concertina rolls were strung across roads in Jammu & Kashmir’s capital Srinagar, and police vehicles issued stay-at-home orders, people effortlessly adhered. Riyaz Wani, Quartz India, 26 Mar. 2020 Each Lad is a multi-instrumentalist, and the combined lineup includes fiddle, button accordion, tenor banjo, flute, whistle, guitar, bouzouki, Uilleann pipes, 5-string banjo, concertina, and bodhran. Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, 10 Feb. 2020

Word History

Etymology

probably from concert entry 1 + Italian -ina, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of concertina was in 1834

Dictionary Entries Near concertina

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

concertina

noun
con·​cer·​ti·​na ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈtē-nə How to pronounce concertina (audio)
: a small musical instrument resembling an accordion

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