chordophone: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 / Very RareTechnical / Academic / Musicological
Quick answer
What does “chordophone” mean?
A musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings stretched between two points.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings stretched between two points.
Any instrument from the Hornbostel-Sachs classification category that generates sound primarily through the vibration of strings, such as a violin, guitar, or harp. In organology (the study of musical instruments), it is a fundamental category alongside aerophones, membranophones, and idiophones.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The term is equally technical in both variants.
Connotations
Purely academic/technical; no regional connotations.
Frequency
Extremely rare in general discourse in both regions, confined to academic texts on musicology or instrument classification.
Grammar
How to Use “chordophone” in a Sentence
The [instrument] is classified as a chordophone.[Subject] studied the evolution of chordophones.Chordophones can be [plucked/bowed/struck].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “chordophone” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The museum aims to chordophone its entire collection by next year. (Hypothetical/rare technical use)
American English
- The researcher chordophoned the instrument based on its string configuration. (Hypothetical/rare technical use)
adjective
British English
- The chordophone classification system is essential for museum cataloguing.
American English
- Her thesis focused on chordophone development in Appalachian folk music.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Primary context. Used in musicology, anthropology, and organology papers. e.g., 'The dissertation analysed chordophone construction in 15th-century Europe.'
Everyday
Virtually never used. One would say 'string instrument' or the specific name (guitar, violin).
Technical
Used in detailed instrument cataloguing, museum curation, and ethnomusicological fieldwork notes.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “chordophone”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “chordophone”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “chordophone”
- Misspelling as 'cordophone' (confusing with 'cord').
- Mispronouncing as /tʃɔːdəfəʊn/ (like 'chord' in music). The 'ch' is a /k/ sound.
- Using it in everyday conversation instead of 'string instrument'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Although played with a keyboard, the piano's sound is produced by hammers striking strings, placing it in the subcategory of 'struck chordophones' within the Hornbostel-Sachs classification.
In practical terms, very little. 'Chordophone' is the precise scientific term from organology, while 'string instrument' is the common, generic term. 'Chordophone' strictly refers to the sound-production mechanism.
Yes, but with a caveat. Its primary sound generation is from vibrating strings (making it a chordophone), but it requires electrical amplification. Some classification systems add a separate category, 'electrophones', for such instruments.
Almost exclusively in academic or highly technical contexts: university musicology courses, museum exhibit labels, scholarly articles on musical instruments, or advanced textbooks on ethnomusicology.
A musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings stretched between two points.
Chordophone is usually technical / academic / musicological in register.
Chordophone: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɔːdəfəʊn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɔːrdəfoʊn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CHORD played on a telePHONE. A 'chordophone' is an instrument where 'chords' (strings) produce the 'phone' (sound).
Conceptual Metaphor
INSTRUMENTS ARE ORGANISMS (classified into families and species). A chordophone is a 'species' in the 'family' of sound-producing objects.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT a chordophone?