Etymology

instrument

in·stru·ment
I1N1S1T1R1U1M3E1N1T1

Today it means: A device used to produce music. Full definition →

Middle English instrument ← Old French instrument ← Latin īnstrūmentum
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromīnstrūmentum“an implement, tool”
  2. Old French · derived frominstrument
  3. Middle English · inherited frominstrument
  4. English todayinstrument

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.