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mandolin definition

man·do·lin (man′də lin′, man′də lin)

noun

a musical instrument of the lute family, with four to six pairs of strings stretched over a fretted neck and a deep, rounded sound box: it is played with a plectrum, which is moved rapidly back and forth to give a tremolo effect

Etymology: Fr mandoline < It mandolino, dim. of mandola, mandora < LL pandura, kind of lute < LGr pandoura, prob. < Ar ṭanbur

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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