mbira Hear it!

mbira definition

mbira (m bir′ə)

noun

a hand-held African musical instrument consisting of a series of metal or wooden strips mounted on a soundboard and, often, having a resonator formed from a gourd: it is played by plucking the strips with the thumbs and forefingers

Etymology: of Afr. origin, prob. from a word in Shona (a Bantu language)

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

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