orchestra
/ˈoɹ.kɪs.tɹə/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.01 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.
noun
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.
Example Sentences
- "The orchestra plays music for the dancers to dance to in the 19th century-styled dance hall."
- "It requires quite an orchestra to get a train to start; the guard blows his horn, the stationmaster rings a large bell, and the engine whistles."
- "Musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra."
- "the jackhammering racket of the city softened and an orchestra of crickets trilled in unison"
- "Nightfall also awakened the neighborhood orchestra of crickets."
- "Then he’ll focus his attention on the family’s sprawling property in the Riverland town of Loxton, where Schubert farms an orchestra of crickets."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin orchēstra, borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra), from ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai, “to dance”) + -τρᾰ (-tră, “a suffix used to form instrument nouns (pl.)”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈoɹ.kɪs.tɹə/
- British English: /ˈɔː.kɪs.tɹə/
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Music.