hurdy-gurdy

hurdy-gurdy

English

WOTD – 16 April 2008

A stringed hurdy-gurdy

Etymology

Probably onomatopoeic in imitation of the sound produced by the stringed instrument.[1] Compare obsolete hirdy-girdy (“an uproar; noise”).[2] Attested from the 1740s.[1][2]

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɜː.diˌɡɜː.di/, /ˌhɜː.diˈɡɜː.di/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhɝː.diˌɡɝː.di/, /ˌhɝː.diˈɡɝː.di/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

hurdy-gurdy (not comparable)

1. (humorous) Sounding like the Swedish language.

Noun

hurdy-gurdy (plural hurdy-gurdies)

1. (music) A stringed instrument that produces a droning sound by turning a handle that connects to a wheel that rubs against a rosined string, with a keyboard also used to alter the pitch of the string.
2. (music) Synonym of street organ, often considered a misnomer.
   • 1956 [1880], Johanna Spyri, Heidi, translation of original by Eileen Hall, page 83:

     He flung open the door, and found there only a ragged boy with a hurdy-gurdy on his back.

3. (US, California) A water wheel with radial buckets, driven by the impact of a jet.
4. (fishing, sailing) A winch, a windlass.
   • 2009, Keith McLaren, A Race for Real Sailors‎, page 20:

     A pair of oars, a small mast and sail, pen boards to contain the fish, a bailer, a water jar, a bait knife, a compass, a small wooden winch called a hurdy gurdy, a fish gaff, and the tubs, trawls, floats, and anchors used to set gear was all that was required to equip it.

Synonyms

• (stringed instrument): wheel fiddle

Derived terms

• hurdy-gurdyist

Translations

stringed instrument

Catalan: viola de roda (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 手搖琴／手摇琴 (shǒuyáoqín), 絞弦琴／绞弦琴 (jiǎoxiánqín), 手搖風琴／手摇风琴 (zh) (shǒuyáo fēngqín) Czech: niněra (cs) f Dutch: draailier (nl) f, draaivedel f Esperanto: vjelo Finnish: kampiliira (fi) French: vielle à roue (fr) f Galician: zanfona (gl) f German: Drehleier (de) f, Drehorgel (de) f, Leierkasten (de) m Hungarian: forgólant, nyenyere (hu), tekerőlant (hu) Italian: ghironda f Japanese: ハーディ・ガーディ (hādi-gādi) Korean: 허디 거디 (heodi geodi), 휴대용 풍금 (hyudaeyong punggeum) Macedonian: хурди-гурди n (hurdi-gurdi) Norman: chifournie f Occitan: sonsaina f Polish: lira korbowa (pl) f Portuguese: viela de roda f, sanfona (pt) f Russian: колёсная ли́ра f (koljósnaja líra) Slovene: strunska lajna f Spanish: zanfona (es) f Swedish: vevlira (sv) c Volapük: tulagel

barrel organ — see barrel organ

See also

• Appendix:Glossary of chordophones
• viellist (one who plays a hurdy-gurdy)

References

1. “hurdy-gurdy”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
2. Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.