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harmonica

noun

  1. musical instrument
L321713 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌhɑɹˈmɒ.nɪ.kə/ / /ˌhɑɹˈmɑ.nɪ.kə/

noun

Etymology: From armonica. Coined by American polymath and statesman Benjamin Franklin to refer to his glass harmonica, an instrument that predated the small wind instrument by several decades. Doublet of harmonic; compare Latin harmonicus.

  1. A musical wind instrument with a series of holes for the player to blow into, each hole producing a different note.
  2. A musical instrument, consisting of a series of hemispherical glasses which, by touching the edges with the dampened finger, give forth the tones.
  3. A toy instrument of strips of glass or metal hung on two tapes, and struck with hammers.