15 May 2018
spinet
[spin-it]
noun
1. a small upright piano.
2. a small, square piano.
3. any of various small harpsichords.
4. Also called spinet organ. a small electric organ.
Origin of spinet
French, Italian
1655-1665; aphetic variant of obsolete espinette < French < Italian spinetta, probably equivalent to spin(a) thorn (see spine ) + -etta diminutive suffix; the existence of an instrument-maker named Spinetti is unverified
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for spinet
Contemporary Examples
I went into the smoking-room and sat down before the spinet.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Historical Examples
There are two theories as to the origin of the name ” spinet.”
How the Piano Came to Be
Ellye Howell Glover
There are interesting old books on the virginals, harpsichord, and spinet.
The Book-Hunter at Home
P. B. M. Allan
She had been taking lessons on the spinet, but the painting was a great rival.
A Little Girl in Old Salem
Amanda Minnie Douglas
Her laugh was sweet and tinkly, like the upper notes of a spinet.
IT and Other Stories
Gouverneur Morris
Do you think that you could learn to play the spinet, Jenny?
True to His Home
Hezekiah Butterworth
Now I know it is a spinet I heard humming—I told you about it, mother.
True to His Home
Hezekiah Butterworth
Breathing hard, Groverzb rose and gingerly lifted the spinet ‘s lid.
Quiet, Please
Kevin Scott
Then the order was given, ” spinet, be silent,” and all was quiet.
Harper’s Young People, May 11, 1880
Various
This spinet remained one of Verdi’s most treasured possessions.
Verdi: Man and Musician
Frederick James Crowest
Anagram
I spent
its pen
Today’s quote
Great anger and violence can never build a nation.
– Nelson Mandela
On this day
15 May – The Nakba (Day of the Catastrophe), Palestine – commemoration of the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians and the depopulation and destruction of at least 400 villages during the establishment of Israel in 1948.
15 May 1970 – At Jackson State University in Mississippi, police open fire on students who were protesting against the Vietnam and Cambodian Wars, killing two and injuring twelve.