concertina

English

A variety of concertinas.

Etymology

From concert +‎ -ina.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑnsɚˈtinə/

Noun

concertina (plural concertinas)

1. A musical instrument, like the various accordions, that is a member of the free-reed family of musical instruments, typically having buttons on both ends.

   Hypernym: squeezebox

   Coordinate term: accordion

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     That concertina was a wonder in its way. The handles that was on it first was wore out long ago, and he'd made new ones of braided rope yarn. And the bellows was patched in more places than a cranberry picker's overalls.

   • 1978, Jan Romein, The Watershed of Two Eras: Europe in 1900, page 303:

     Elsewhere, professionals could enthuse over new precision instruments capable, for instance, of measuring weights down to a tenth of a milligram, or over a host of self-registering thermometers and barometers, microscopes, typewriters, calculators and all sorts of technical and musical devices, including automatic concertinas, edeophones, auto-harps, bigophones and other long-forgotten objects.

2. Something multiply folded like a concertina, such as a folded book, a bus door or a set of picture frames that are folded together.
3. Coiled barbed wire for use as an obstacle.
4. A type of booklet label, consisting of up to 32 pages of booklet as an insert.

Derived terms

• anglo concertina
• concertina book
• concertina frame
• concertina wire
• concertinist

Descendants

• → Finnish: concertina
• → Portuguese: concertina
• → Spanish: concertina

Translations

musical instrument

• Armenian: կոնցերտին (hy) (koncʻertin)
• Bulgarian: концертина (bg) f (koncertina)
• Catalan: concertina (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 六角手風琴狀 / 六角手风琴状 (liùjiǎo shǒufēngqín zhuàng)

• Czech: koncertina f
• Danish: koncertina c
• Dutch: concertina (nl) f
• Finnish: käsiharmonikka
• French: accordéon (fr) m
• German: Ziehharmonika (de), Konzertina f
• Greek: κονσερτίνα (el) (konsertína)
• Hebrew: מפוחית יד
• Hungarian: hatszögletű harmonika
• Irish: consairtín m
• Italian: fisarmonica (it) f
• Japanese: アコーディオン式 (akōdion-noru), コンサーティーナ (konsātīna)
• Korean: 콘서티나 (konseotina)
• Lithuanian: koncertina
• Luxembourgish: Quëtsch (lb) f
• Māori: kōriana, whētuitui hokohok
• Polish: koncertyna f
• Portuguese: concertina f
• Russian: концертина (ru) f (koncertina)
• Slovak: koncertina f
• Spanish: acordeón (es) m, concertina f
• Swedish: concertina (sv) c
• Tagalog: konsertina
• Turkish: konsertina

something resembling the instrument

• Finnish: haitari (fi)
• Polish: koncertyna f

Verb

concertina (third-person singular simple present concertinas, present participle concertinaing, simple past and past participle concertinaed)

1. To become compressed into a shape reminiscent of a concertina.

   The car concertinaed into the wall.

   • 2012, Amy Schoeman, Skeleton Coast, page ii:

     Millions of years ago the mica schists surrounding the old Brandberg West Mine became folded and concertinaed by enormous horizontal pressures.

2. To be drawn closer and farther apart repeatedly, or up and down, as if situated on a working concertina's folds.
   • 2007, David W Cameron, 25 April 1915: The Day the Anzac Legend Was Born, page 36:

     This resulted in some fragmentation of the line as the boats in some cases closed to just 50 metres as they concertinaed in and out of sight of each other.

See also

• accordion
• bandoneon

Finnish

Etymology

< English concertina

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkonsertiːnɑ/, [ˈko̞ns̠e̞rˌt̪iːnɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -iːnɑ

Noun

concertina

1. synonym of käsiharmonikka (“concertina”)

Declension

Inflection of concertina (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		concertina	concertinat
genitive		concertinan	concertinojen
partitive		concertinaa	concertinoja
illative		concertinaan	concertinoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		concertina	concertinat
accusative	nom.	concertina	concertinat
	gen.	concertinan
genitive		concertinan	concertinojen concertinain rare
partitive		concertinaa	concertinoja
inessive		concertinassa	concertinoissa
elative		concertinasta	concertinoista
illative		concertinaan	concertinoihin
adessive		concertinalla	concertinoilla
ablative		concertinalta	concertinoilta
allative		concertinalle	concertinoille
essive		concertinana	concertinoina
translative		concertinaksi	concertinoiksi
abessive		concertinatta	concertinoitta
instructive		—	concertinoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of concertina (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative concertinani concertinani accusative nom. concertinani concertinani gen. concertinani genitive concertinani concertinojeni concertinaini rare partitive concertinaani concertinojani inessive concertinassani concertinoissani elative concertinastani concertinoistani illative concertinaani concertinoihini adessive concertinallani concertinoillani ablative concertinaltani concertinoiltani allative concertinalleni concertinoilleni essive concertinanani concertinoinani translative concertinakseni concertinoikseni abessive concertinattani concertinoittani instructive — — comitative — concertinoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative concertinasi concertinasi accusative nom. concertinasi concertinasi gen. concertinasi genitive concertinasi concertinojesi concertinaisi rare partitive concertinaasi concertinojasi inessive concertinassasi concertinoissasi elative concertinastasi concertinoistasi illative concertinaasi concertinoihisi adessive concertinallasi concertinoillasi ablative concertinaltasi concertinoiltasi allative concertinallesi concertinoillesi essive concertinanasi concertinoinasi translative concertinaksesi concertinoiksesi abessive concertinattasi concertinoittasi instructive — — comitative — concertinoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative concertinamme concertinamme accusative nom. concertinamme concertinamme gen. concertinamme genitive concertinamme concertinojemme concertinaimme rare partitive concertinaamme concertinojamme inessive concertinassamme concertinoissamme elative concertinastamme concertinoistamme illative concertinaamme concertinoihimme adessive concertinallamme concertinoillamme ablative concertinaltamme concertinoiltamme allative concertinallemme concertinoillemme essive concertinanamme concertinoinamme translative concertinaksemme concertinoiksemme abessive concertinattamme concertinoittamme instructive — — comitative — concertinoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative concertinanne concertinanne accusative nom. concertinanne concertinanne gen. concertinanne genitive concertinanne concertinojenne concertinainne rare partitive concertinaanne concertinojanne inessive concertinassanne concertinoissanne elative concertinastanne concertinoistanne illative concertinaanne concertinoihinne adessive concertinallanne concertinoillanne ablative concertinaltanne concertinoiltanne allative concertinallenne concertinoillenne essive concertinananne concertinoinanne translative concertinaksenne concertinoiksenne abessive concertinattanne concertinoittanne instructive — — comitative — concertinoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative concertinansa concertinansa accusative nom. concertinansa concertinansa gen. concertinansa genitive concertinansa concertinojensa concertinainsa rare partitive concertinaansa concertinojaan concertinojansa inessive concertinassaan concertinassansa concertinoissaan concertinoissansa elative concertinastaan concertinastansa concertinoistaan concertinoistansa illative concertinaansa concertinoihinsa adessive concertinallaan concertinallansa concertinoillaan concertinoillansa ablative concertinaltaan concertinaltansa concertinoiltaan concertinoiltansa allative concertinalleen concertinallensa concertinoilleen concertinoillensa essive concertinanaan concertinanansa concertinoinaan concertinoinansa translative concertinakseen concertinaksensa concertinoikseen concertinoiksensa abessive concertinattaan concertinattansa concertinoittaan concertinoittansa instructive — — comitative — concertinoineen concertinoinensa

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõ.seʁˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/ [kõ.sehˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõ.seʁˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/ [kõ.sehˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kõ.seɾˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kõ.seʁˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/ [kõ.seχˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /kõ.seɻˈt͡ʃĩ.nɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõ.seʁˈt͡ʃi.na/ [kõ.sehˈt͡ʃi.na]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kõ.sɨɾˈti.nɐ/

• Hyphenation: con‧cer‧ti‧na

Noun

concertina f (plural concertinas)

1. (music) concertina
2. (music, Portugal) button accordion, melodeon
3. (military) concertina (coiled barbed wire)

Related terms

• concerto

Further reading

• “concertina”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “concertina”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English concertina. First attested in 1854.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /konθeɾˈtina/ [kõn̟.θeɾˈt̪i.na] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /konseɾˈtina/ [kõn.seɾˈt̪i.na] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -ina
• Syllabification: con‧cer‧ti‧na

Noun

concertina f (plural concertinas)

1. (music) concertina [from mid-19th c.]

Further reading

• “concertina”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “concertina”, in Diccionario histórico de la lengua española [Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], launched 2013, →ISSN