armonica

An pair of hands on the bowls of a armonica.

Meaning

A musical instrument made of blown-glass bowls mounted on a spindle turned originally by a foot pedal, and played with wetted fingers, producing an ethereal sound. Technically, it is a crystallophone.

Coined by Benjamin Franklin, its inventor; built on Italian armonia. glass harmonica is a corruption of Franklin's original word, a back-formation influenced by harmonica (a reed instrument invented sixty years later).

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

Try out Vedaist now.