Meanings
plural harpsichords · alternative dated harpsicord · alternative archaic harpicord · alternative archaic harpichord · alternative obsolete harpsicon · alternative Cemb. · alternative Hpcd. · alternative Hpd. · alternative Hpsd. · alternative Hrpsd.
- entertainmentA stringed musical instrument with a keyboard, the mechanical precursor to the fortepiano, in which each key causes a plectrum to pluck a corresponding tuned string, producing a bright, sharp tone similar to that of a harp.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna clavier with strings that are plucked by plectra mounted on pivots
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Italianarpicordo
- Frenchharpechord“harp string”
- Englishharpsichord
Early 1600s, borrowed from French harpechord (“harp string”), from New Latin harpichordium, from harpa (“harp”) + chorda (“string”). Influenced by and possibly also borrowed from Italian arpicordo, producing variant spellings. The unetymological -s-, which predominates by the 1660s, is of unclear origin.
More words from French, Italian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans klavesimbel
- klavesimbelmusical instrument
Arabic بِيَانُ القِيثَارِي
- بِيَانُ القِيثَارِي (biyānu l-qīṯārī)musical instrument
Bulgarian клавеси́н
- клавеси́н (klavesín)musical instrument
Catalan clavicèmbal, clavecí
- clavicèmbalmusical instrument
- clavecímusical instrument
Chinese Mandarin 大鍵琴 /大键琴
- 大鍵琴 /大键琴 (dàjiànqín)musical instrument
Czech cembalo
- cembalomusical instrument
Danish cembalo
- cembalomusical instrument
Dutch klavecimbel
- klavecimbelmusical instrument
Esperanto klaviceno
- klavicenomusical instrument
Estonian klavessiin
- klavessiinmusical instrument
Finnish cembalo, klavesiini
- cembalomusical instrument
- klavesiinimusical instrument
French clavecin
- clavecinmusical instrument
German Spinett, Cembalo
- Spinettmusical instrument
- Cembalomusical instrument
Greek τσέμπαλο
- τσέμπαλο (tsémpalo)musical instrument
Hebrew צֶ׳מבָּלוֹ
- צֶ׳מבָּלוֹmusical instrument
Hungarian csembaló
- csembalómusical instrument
Icelandic semball
- semballmusical instrument
Irish cruitchlár
- cruitchlármusical instrument
Italian clavicembalo, cembalo
- clavicembalomusical instrument
- cembalomusical instrument
Japanese チェンバロ, ハープシコード
- チェンバロ (chenbaro)musical instrument
- ハープシコード (hāpushikōdo)musical instrument
- クラヴサン (kuravusan)musical instrument
Korean 하프시코드
- 하프시코드 (hapeusikodeu)musical instrument
Latin harpicordium
- harpicordiummusical instrument
Latvian klavesīns
- klavesīnsmusical instrument
Lithuanian klavesinas
- klavesinasmusical instrument
Norwegian Bokmål cembalo
- cembalomusical instrument
Persian هارپسیکورد
- هارپسیکورد (hârpsikôrd)musical instrument
Polish klawesyn
- klawesynmusical instrument
Portuguese cravo
- cravomusical instrument
Romanian clavecin
- clavecinmusical instrument
Russian клавеси́н
- клавеси́н (klavesín)musical instrument
Scottish Gaelic cruit-chòrda
- cruit-chòrdamusical instrument
Slovak čembalo
- čembalomusical instrument
Spanish clavecín, clave
- clavecínmusical instrument
- clavemusical instrument
- clavicordiomusical instrument
- clavicémbalomusical instrument
Swedish cembalo
- cembalomusical instrument
Thai ฮาร์ปซิคอร์ด
- ฮาร์ปซิคอร์ด (hâap sí kòt)musical instrument
Turkish klavsen
- klavsenmusical instrument
Ukrainian клавеси́н
- клавеси́н (klavesýn)musical instrument
Vietnamese đàn clavico
- đàn clavicomusical instrument
Welsh harpsicord, absicol
- harpsicordmusical instrument
- absicolmusical instrument
Cite this entry
harpsichord. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harpsichord
“harpsichord.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harpsichord. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “harpsichord,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/harpsichord.
Source: harpsichord on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.