Etymology

mandolin

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Today it means: A stringed instrument of the lute family, having eight strings in four courses, frequently tuned as a violin, and with either a bowl-shaped back or a flat back. Full definition →

French mandoline ← Italian mandolino ← Late Latin pandura
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekπανδοῦρα (pandoûra)
  2. Late Latinpandura
  3. Italianmandola
  4. Italianmandolino
  5. Frenchmandoline
  6. English todaymandolin

From French mandoline, from Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandola, a large stringed instrument.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.