dulcimer

noun

dul·​ci·​mer ˈdəl-sə-mər How to pronounce dulcimer (audio)
1
: a stringed instrument of trapezoidal shape played with light hammers held in the hands
2
or less commonly dulcimore
ˈdəl-sə-ˌmȯr How to pronounce dulcimer (audio)
: an American folk instrument with three or four strings stretched over an elongate fretted sound box that is held on the lap and played by plucking or strumming

Examples of dulcimer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Admission to the dulcimer championships, sponsored by the Committee of One Hundred for the Ozark Folk Center, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Friday and 1:30-7 p.m. Saturday, is free. — Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 23 Apr. 2025 To help bring the song to life, Sheeran worked with several Iranian and Indian artists who contributed backing vocals played instruments on the track like the ghatam, daf, santoor, hammered dulcimer, and lute. — Chris Malone Méndez, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025 Joining him will be Kevin Roth on a deviant dulcimer. — Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025 The program will feature old-time acoustic mountain and folk music on banjo, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, fiddle, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, bass fiddle, autoharp and the Appalachian dancing doll, plus dancing, storytelling and comedy. — Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 15 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dulcimer

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dowcemere, from Middle French doulcemer, from Old Italian dolcimelo, from dolce sweet, from Latin dulcis

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dulcimer was in 1509

Phrases Containing dulcimer

Browse Nearby Words

dulcify
dulcimer
dulcin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dulcimer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dulcimer. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

dulcimer

noun
dul·​ci·​mer ˈdəl-sə-mər How to pronounce dulcimer (audio)
1
: a stringed instrument played with light hammers held in the hands
2
or dulcimore
-ˌmōr How to pronounce dulcimer (audio)
-ˌmȯr
 : an American folk instrument with three or four strings held on the lap and played by plucking or strumming

More from Merriam-Webster on dulcimer

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dulcimer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All