hornpipe

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a British solo dance performed by sailors
  2. noun music for dancing the hornpipe
  3. noun an ancient (now obsolete) single-reed woodwind; usually made of bone

Etymology

From Middle English hornpipe, hornpype, hornepipe, equivalent to horn + pipe; so called because the bell at the open end was sometimes made of horn.

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