free reed

noun

A reed in a musical wind instrument whose edges do not overlap the edges of the opening over which it is fixed and that is used typically in the accordion, harmonium, concertina.

Opposite
double reed
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Meanings

nounfree reed (plural free reeds)

plural free reeds

  1. entertainmentA reed in a musical wind instrument whose edges do not overlap the edges of the opening over which it is fixed and that is used typically in the accordion, harmonium, concertina.

    The appearance of a sheng in Paris at the end of the eighteenth century inspired the development of free reed instruments in Western Europe, including the harmonica, accordion, and symphonium (see next page).

    2015, J. Kenneth Moore, Jayson Kerr Dobney, E Bradley Strachen-Scherer, Musical Instruments: Highlights of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, →ISBN, page 120

    Antonyms: double reed

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA reed in a musical wind instrument whose edges do not overlap the edges of the opening over which it is fixed and that is used typically in the accordion, harmonium, concertina.

Opposite
double reed
Cite this entry
APA

free reed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20reed

MLA

“free reed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20reed. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free reed,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20reed.

Source: free reed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.