hurdy-gurdy Hear it!

hurdy-gurdy definition

hurdy-gurdy (hʉr′dē gʉr′dē)

noun pl. hurdy-gurdies -·gur′dies

  1. an early instrument shaped like a lute or viol but played by turning a crank attached to a rosined wheel that causes the strings to vibrate
  2. popularly a barrel organ

Etymology: prob. echoic

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.