banjo

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ban·jo / ˈbanjō/ • n. (pl. -jos or -joes) a stringed musical instrument with a long neck and a round open-backed body consisting of parchment stretched over a metal hoop like a tambourine, played by plucking or with a plectrum. It is used esp. in American folk music. ∎  an object resembling this in shape: [as adj.] a banjo clock. DERIVATIVES: ban·jo·ist / -ist/ n.ORIGIN: mid 18th cent.: originally a black American alteration of earlier bandore; probably based on Greek pandoura ‘three-stringed lute.’ Compare with bandora.

banjo

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