nyckelharpa

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noun

A string instrument (chordophone) with a long body and a boat-shaped soundbox, with keys attached to tangents that act like frets when the keys are depressed, and most commonly featuring chromatic and sympathetic strings in modern instruments, originating in the traditional music of Sweden.

Similar
keyed fiddlekey harp
OriginSwedish nyckelharpa →
Scrabble 25
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Meanings

nounnyckelharpa (plural nyckelharpas or nyckelharpor)

plural nyckelharpas · plural nyckelharpor

  1. entertainmentA string instrument (chordophone) with a long body and a boat-shaped soundbox, with keys attached to tangents that act like frets when the keys are depressed, and most commonly featuring chromatic and sympathetic strings in modern instruments, originating in the traditional music of Sweden.

    Synonyms: keyed fiddle, key harp

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA string instrument (chordophone) with a long body and a boat-shaped soundbox, with keys attached to tangents that act like frets when the keys are depressed, and most commonly featuring chromatic and sympathetic strings in modern instruments, originating in the traditional music of Sweden.

Similar
keyed fiddlekey harp
Also see
keyed fiddlekey harp

Origin

  1. Swedishnyckelharpa
  2. Englishnyckelharpa

Borrowed from Swedish nyckelharpa.

More words from Swedish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“nyckelharpa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nyckelharpa. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nyckelharpa,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nyckelharpa.

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