syrinx
/ˈsɪɹɪŋks/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.83 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Chiefly in the plural: a narrow channel cut in rock, especially in Ancient Egyptian burial chambers.
noun
Any of several abnormal tube-shaped structures in the body, especially a rare, fluid-filled neuroglial cavity in the brain stem or within the spinal cord.
Example Sentences
- "[T]he Syrinx might give occaſion to the bagpipe, by leading the vvay to its invention; for it vvas certainly very natural, both for eaſe in playing, and for the ſaving of breath, and even for the health and ſafety of the performer's lungs, to contrive a method of conveying vvind to the ſeveral pipes by means of bellovvs."
- "Pipes will I fashion of the syrinx flag, / That thou mayst always know whither I roam, / When it shall please thee in our quiet home / To listen and think of love."
- "In Dr. Sven Hedin's collection there is a fragment of a neck of a jar, which shows a whole circle of Gandharvas performing on drums, harps, syrinxes, etc. Noteworthy is the existence of the syrinx on artware of Eastern Turkestan. That instrument has never, so far as I am aware, been observed in Indian art."
- "The Panpipe is indeed one of the most characteristic instruments of South America, especially of the Western regions. the ancient Peruvian civilizations produced syrinxes not only of reeds but also of terra cotta (those of the coastal civilizations, especially of Nazca, are sometimes real works of art) and even carved in stone, chiefly among the Araucans."
- "Actually, to cut a long story short, he began … well, playing with a rather different sort of pipe. Or syrinx, as we called it. He obviously thought he was alone. I was frankly quite shocked. Disgusted. It wasn't that I hadn't seen naked men before, at my aunt's in Cyprus."
- "Inside, somebody was playing a duet on syrinx and lyre. Lew thought he knew the tune, but then it went off in some direction he couldn't follow."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin sȳrinx (“reed; reed pipe, panpipes”), from Ancient Greek σῦριγξ (sûrinx, “panpipes; pipe-shaped object”), from Pre-Greek. Doublet of syringe. The plural form syringes is a learned borrowing from Latin sȳringes.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: σῦριγξ, Σῦρῐγξ
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɪɹɪŋks/
- British English: /ˈsɪɹɪŋks/