castanet

English

A pair of ivory castanets displayed in a museum.

A pair of black castanets being played.

Etymology

From Spanish castañeta, diminutive form of castaña, from Latin castanea, from Ancient Greek καστάνεια (kastáneia, “chestnut”), possibly of Pre-Greek origin. Related to the chest in chestnut, formerly chesten.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌkæs.təˈnɛt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

castanet (plural castanets)

1. (music, chiefly in the plural) A single handheld percussion instrument consisting of a pair of concave shells or shell-shaped parts joined on one edge by string.

Derived terms

• castanetist

Translations

a single handheld percussion instrument

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: ساجة m (sāga)

• Asturian: castañuela f
• Catalan: castanyola (ca) f, castanyeta f, esclafidor (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 響板 / 响板 (zh) (xiǎngbǎn)

• Czech: kastaněty (cs) f pl
• Dutch: castagnet (nl), castagnetten (nl) pl
• Finnish: kastanjetit (fi) pl
• French: castagnette (fr) f
• Galician: tarañola f, tarrañola (gl), castañolas (gl) f pl, castañeta (gl) f
• German: Kastagnette f, Kastagnetten f pl (usually plural)
• Greek: καστανιέτα (el) f (kastaniéta)

  Ancient: κρόταλον n (krótalon), κρέμβαλα n pl (krémbala)

• Hungarian: kasztanyetta (hu)
• Irish: castainéid m pl
• Italian: castagnette f pl, nacchere (it) f pl
• Japanese: カスタネット (ja) (kasutanetto)
• Latin: crotalum n
• Macedonian: кастане́ти f pl (kastanéti)
• Maori: tōkere, tokerangi, whakapākōkō, māpara
• Polish: kastaniety f pl
• Portuguese: castanhola (pt) f
• Romanian: castanietă (ro) f
• Russian: кастанье́та (ru) f (kastanʹjéta), кастанье́ты (ru) f pl (kastanʹjéty) (usually plural)
• Scots: clatter banes pl
• Spanish: castañuela (es) f
• Swedish: kastanjett (sv) c
• Tagalog: talakatak, kastanyetas, pakalkak
• Turkish: kastanyet (tr)

Anagrams

• anteacts