From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Castanets \Cas"ta*nets\, n. pl. [F. castagnettes, Sp.
casta[~n]etas, fr. L. castanea (Sp. casta[~n]a) a chestnut.
So named from the resemblance to two chestnuts, or because
chestnuts were first used for castanets. See {Chestnut}.]
Two small, concave shells of ivory or hard wood, shaped like
spoons, fastened to the thumb, and beaten together with the
middle finger; -- used by the Spaniards and Moors as an
accompaniment to their dance and guitars.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The singular, castanet, is used of one of the pair, or,
sometimes, of the pair forming the instrument.
[1913 Webster]
The dancer, holding a castanet in each hand,
rattles them to the motion of his feet. --Moore
(Encyc. of
Music).
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
castanets
n 1: a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow
pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and
fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish
dancers) in rhythm with the dance [syn: {bones},
{castanets}, {clappers}, {finger cymbals}]
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