instrument

plural instruments

1. A device used to produce music.

   The violinist was a master of her instrument.

   4 more examples

   The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong / Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge

   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

   But those who attack violists shouldn't throw resin. Once the ergonomic viola catches on what instrument will be immune?

   1997 August 9, Edward Rothstein, “A Comeback for the Viola. No Joking.”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2021

   A hand-plucked instrument used in traditional Sierra Leonean music; also called a mbira, kalimba, or finger harp.

   2007, Suzanne LeVert, Cultures of the World: Sierra Leone, page 140

   MOHAMMAD REZA SHAJARIAN (Thursday) Renowned in his native Iran, the vocalist Mohammad Reza Shajarian has been performing since the 1960s, and is now widely considered one of the finest classical Persian singers in the world. Mr. Shajarian’s son, Homayoun Shajarian, will provide additional vocals and tombak (goblet drum), while Ensemble Ava, a four-piece, will contribute additional instrumentation on the ancient Persian instruments barbat (short-necked lute), tar (long-necked lute), kamancheh (spike fiddle) and daf (frame drum).

   2008 May 30, The New York Times, “Pop and Rock Listings”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2022

2. A means or agency for achieving an aspect.

   “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. […]”

   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

   1 more example

   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.

   1963 January 11, “The World”, in Time, volume LXXXI, number 2, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32, column 3

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.

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   The scientist recorded the temperature with a thermometer, but wished he had a more accurate instrument.

   1. abbreviationellipsisplural normallyaeronauticsEllipsis of flight instrument.

      Flight within clouds must be made by reference to your instruments.

5. lawA legal document, such as a contract, deed, trust, mortgage, power, indenture, or will, or any of a class of negotiable ones (which can be exchanged for value or money).

   Negotiable instruments are the foundation of the debt markets.

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   A bond indenture is the instrument that gives a bond its value.

6. figurativelyA person used as a mere tool for achieving a goal.

   The bold are but the instruments o' the wise.

   1670, John Dryden, The Conquest of Granada

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   Or useful serving man and instrument, / To any sovereign state.

   c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

present singular third person instruments · participle present instrumenting · participle past instrumented · past instrumented

1. transitiveTo apply measuring devices.

   an instrumented test article

   Synonyms: measure, supervise

2. transitiveTo devise, conceive, cook up, plan.

   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, […]

   1978 April 15, Mitzel, “An Evening and an Afternoon with James Purdy”, in Gay Community News, page 10

3. To perform upon an instrument; to prepare for an instrument.

   a sonata instrumented for orchestra

   Synonyms: play, arrange