castanet

English

A pair of dancers with castanets in their hands. Photo taken in Madrid, Spain

Etymology

From Spanish castañeta, diminutive form of castaña, from Latin castanea, from Ancient Greek καστάνεια (kastáneia, “chestnut”), possibly of Pre-Greek origin. Related to the chest in chestnut, formerly chesten.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌkæs.tə.ˈnɛt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

castanet (plural castanets)

1. (music, chiefly in the plural) A single handheld percussion instrument consisting of a pair of concave shells or shell-shaped parts joined on one edge by string.

Derived terms

• castanetist

Translations

a single handheld percussion instrument

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: ساجة m (sāga)

• Asturian: castañuela f
• Catalan: castanyola (ca) f, castanyeta f, esclafidor (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 響板／响板 (zh) (xiǎngbǎn)

• Czech: kastaněty (cs) f pl
• Dutch: castagnet (nl), castagnetten (nl) pl
• Finnish: kastanjetit (fi) pl
• French: castagnette (fr) f
• Galician: tarañola f, tarrañola (gl), castañolas (gl) f pl, castañeta (gl) f
• German: Kastagnette f, Kastagnetten f pl (usually plural)
• Greek: καστανιέτα (el) f (kastaniéta)

  Ancient: κρόταλον n (krótalon), κρέμβαλα n pl (krémbala)

• Hungarian: kasztanyetta (hu)
• Irish: castainéid m pl
• Italian: castagnette f pl, nacchere (it) f pl
• Japanese: カスタネット (ja) (kasutanetto)
• Latin: crotalum n
• Macedonian: кастане́ти f pl (kastanéti)
• Maori: tōkere, tokerangi, whakapākōkō, māpara
• Polish: kastaniety f pl
• Portuguese: castanhola (pt) f
• Romanian: castanietă (ro) f
• Russian: кастанье́та (ru) f (kastanʹjéta), кастанье́ты (ru) f pl (kastanʹjéty) (usually plural)
• Scots: clatter banes pl
• Spanish: castañuela (es) f
• Swedish: kastanjett (sv) c
• Tagalog: talakatak, kastanyetas, pakalkak
• Turkish: kastanyet (tr)

Anagrams

• anteacts