English Explanatory Dictionary

orchestra

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.
  2. A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.
  3. The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage, sometimes (also) used by other performers.

Pronunciation

/ˈɔː.kɪs.tɹə/ /ˈɔː.kəs.tɹə/ /ˈoɹ.kɪs.tɹə/ /ˈoɹ.kəs.tɹə/ [ˈoɹkɛstɹə] en-uk-orchestra.ogg en-us-orchestra.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-orchestra.wav

Word forms

orchestra orchestras orchestrae

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin orchēstra, borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra), from ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai) + -τρᾰ (-tră).

Derived words

chamber orchestra miniorchestra monkey orchestra orchestra hit orchestral orchestraless orchestra pit orchestra-pit orchestra stall orchestra stalls orchestrate orchestration orchestrina orchestrion palm court orchestra philharmonic orchestra pops orchestra steel pan orchestra string orchestra symphony orchestra
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on O Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary