kamancheh

K5A1M3A1N1C3H4E1H4

noun

A long-necked stringed instrument (a spike fiddle) with a bowl-shaped body, traditionally featuring three silk strings but now more often four metal ones, played with a bow, common among the peoples of the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Near East.

Scrabble 23

Meanings

nounkamancheh (plural kamanchehs)

plural kamanchehs · alternative kamencheh · alternative kamānche · alternative kamāncha · alternative kamancha · alternative kemancha · alternative kemenche · alternative kyamancha

  1. entertainmentA long-necked stringed instrument (a spike fiddle) with a bowl-shaped body, traditionally featuring three silk strings but now more often four metal ones, played with a bow, common among the peoples of the Caucasus, Anatolia and the Near East.
    1 more example

    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

Origin

  1. Persianکمانچه
  2. Englishkamancheh

Borrowed from Persian کمانچه (kamânče).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese 卡曼贾
  • 卡曼贾a stringed musical instrument
Greek κεμεντζές, λύρα
  • κεμεντζές (kementzés)a stringed musical instrument
  • λύρα (lýra)a stringed musical instrument
Hindi कमानचा
  • कमानचा (kamāncā)a stringed musical instrument
Russian кяманча́, кеманча́
  • кяманча́ (kjamančá)a stringed musical instrument
  • кеманча́ (kemančá)a stringed musical instrument
Turkish kemençe
  • kemençea stringed musical instrument
Cite this entry
APA

kamancheh. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kamancheh

MLA

“kamancheh.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kamancheh. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kamancheh,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kamancheh.

Source: kamancheh on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.