Wiktionary

instrument

See also: Instrument

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Middle English instrument, from Old French instrument, from Latin īnstrūmentum (“an implement, tool”), From īnstruō (“build, construct; arrange”) +‎ -mentum.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈɪnstɹəmənt/, /ˈɪnstɹʊmənt/
  • Hyphenation: in‧stru‧ment
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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instrument (plural instruments)

  1. A device used to produce music.
    The violinist was a master of her instrument.
    • 1568, William Cornishe [i.e., William Cornysh], “In the Fleete Made by Me William Cornishe otherwise Called Nyshwhete Chapelman with the Most Famose and Noble Kyng Henry the VII. His Reygne the XIX. Yere the Moneth of July. A Treatise betwene Trouth, and Information.”, in John Skelton, edited by J[ohn] S[tow], Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate, Imprinted at London: In Fletestreate, neare vnto St Dunstan-in-the-West by Thomas Marshe, →OCLC; republished as Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate to King Henry the VIIIth, London: Printed for C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, 1736, →OCLC, page 290:
      The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong / Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge
  2. A means or agency for achieving an effect.
    • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tremarn Case”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
      “There the cause of death was soon ascertained ; the victim of this daring outrage had been stabbed to death from ear to ear with a long, sharp instrument, in shape like an antique stiletto, which […] was subsequently found under the cushions of the hansom.  […] ”
    • 1963 January 11, “The World”, in Time‎[2], volume LXXXI, number 2, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32, column 3:
      On the rocky island of Tungyin, 50 miles off the coast of Red China, is the headquarters of a little-known military unit called the Anti-Communist Salvation Army. The secret army, 30,000 strong, is Chiang Kai-shek's instrument for the long-promised return to the mainland.
  3. A measuring or displaying device.
    The instrument detected an increase in radioactivity.
  4. A tool, implement used for manipulation or measurement.
    The dentist set down his tray of instruments.
    The scientist recorded the temperature with a thermometer, but wished he had a more accurate instrument.
    1. (aviation, usually in the plural) Ellipsis of flight instrument.
      Flight within clouds must be made by reference to your instruments.
  5. (law) A legal document, such as a contract, deed, trust, mortgage, power, indenture, or will.
    A bond indenture is the instrument that gives a bond its value.
    Negotiable instruments are the foundation of the debt markets.
  6. (figuratively) A person used as a mere tool for achieving a goal.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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instrument (third-person singular simple present instruments, present participle instrumenting, simple past and past participle instrumented)

  1. (transitive) To apply measuring devices.
    an instrumented test article
  2. (transitive) To devise, conceive, cook up, plan.
    • 1978 April 15, Mitzel, “An Evening and an Afternoon with James Purdy”, in Gay Community News, page 10:
      When the Lit. Mongers deign to notice his work, they dismiss him as a "cult writer," another of their standard ploys. Purdy, not really bitter at the instrumented silence and sneers of the bookchat legions, […]
  3. To perform upon an instrument; to prepare for an instrument.
    a sonata instrumented for orchestra

Synonyms

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  • (to apply measuring devices): measure, supervise
  • (to devise, conceive):
  • (to perform on an instrument): play
  • (to prepare for an instrument): arrange

Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin īnstrūmentum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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instrument m (plural instruments)

  1. instrument (clarification of this definition is needed)

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Danish

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Noun

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instrument n (singular definite instrumentet, plural indefinite instrumenter)

  1. instrument
  2. (music) musical instrument
    Synonym: musikinstrument

Declension

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Declension of instrument
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative instrument instrumentet instrumenter instrumenterne
genitive instruments instrumentets instrumenters instrumenternes

Further reading

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Dutch

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Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology

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From Middle Dutch instrument, from Old French instrument, from Latin īnstrūmentum.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌɪn.stryˈmɛnt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: in‧stru‧ment
  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Noun

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instrument n (plural instrumenten, diminutive instrumentje n)

  1. instrument
  2. (music) musical instrument
    Synonyms: muziekinstrument, speeltuig

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Indonesian: instrumen

French

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Etymology

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From Middle French instrument, from Old French instrument, from Latin īnstrūmentum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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instrument m (plural instruments)

  1. instrument (means or agency for achieving an effect)
    Near-synonym: outil
    nom d’instrument ― nomen instrumenti
    instrument de musique ― musical instrument
  2. (figuratively, literary) instrument (person used as a mere tool for achieving a goal)
  3. Ellipsis of instrument de musique (“musical instrument”).
    instrument à cordes ― string instrument
    instrument à vent ― wind instrument
    instrument à percussion ― percussion instrument

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Old French instrument, from Latin instrūmentum (“tool, device”).[1]

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /instriu̯ˈmɛnt/, /instruˈmɛnt/, /ˈinstriu̯mɛnt/, /ˈinstrumɛnt/[2]

Noun

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instrument (plural instrumentes)

  1. A tool or device used for manipulation, especially for medical and scientific uses.
  2. A device used to produce music; a musical instrument.
  3. A piece of weaponry (such as a siege engine).
  4. A legal document, such as a contract, deed or will.
  5. The means by which one reaches an end or effect.
  6. A body part that performs a certain function; an organ.
  7. The human body as a whole.
  8. One of the five senses.

Synonyms

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Descendants

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References

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  1. ^ “instrū̆ment, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-02.
  2. ^ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎[1], volumes I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 13.78, page 385.

Middle French

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Noun

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instrument m (plural instrumens)

  1. (musical) instrument
  2. instrument (device, often mechanical)

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Noun

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instrument n (definite singular instrumentet, indefinite plural instrument or instrumenter, definite plural instrumenta or instrumentene)

  1. an instrument

Derived terms

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Noun

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instrument n (definite singular instrumentet, indefinite plural instrument, definite plural instrumenta)

  1. an instrument

Derived terms

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Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin īnstrūmentum.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /inˈstru.mɛnt/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -umɛnt
  • Syllabification: in‧stru‧ment

Noun

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instrument m inan

  1. instrument

Declension

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Declension of instrument
singular plural
nominative instrument instrumenty
genitive instrumentu instrumentów
dative instrumentowi instrumentom
accusative instrument instrumenty
instrumental instrumentem instrumentami
locative instrumencie instrumentach
vocative instrumencie instrumenty

Derived terms

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adjectives
nouns

Further reading

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  • instrument in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • instrument in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • instrument in PWN's encyclopedia

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French instrument, from Latin instrumentum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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instrument n (plural instrumente)

  1. instrument

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative instrument instrumentul instrumente instrumentele
genitive-dative instrument instrumentului instrumente instrumentelor
vocative instrumentule instrumentelor

Swedish

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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instrument n

  1. an instrument (of music, for measurement, method, tool, or financial contract), a device

Declension

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Declension of instrument
nominative genitive
singular indefinite instrument instruments
definite instrumentet instrumentets
plural indefinite instrument instruments
definite instrumenten instrumentens

Derived terms

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References

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Zoogocho Zapotec

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Spanish instrumento.

Noun

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instrument

  1. musical instrument

References

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  • Long C., Rebecca, Cruz M., Sofronio (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 38)‎[3] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 236
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