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