Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An electronic instrument played by moving the hands near its two antennas, often used for high tremolo effects.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An electronic musical instrument that generates sound of varying pitch and volume depending on the proximity of the musician’s hands to two antennae mounted on the instrument.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an electronic musical instrument; melodies can be played by moving the right hand between two rods that serve as antennas to control pitch; the left hand controls phrasing

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[After Leo Theremin, (1896–1993), Russian engineer and inventor.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From its inventor Léon Theremin. Theremin is a French surname (compare Russian Термен (Termen)).

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Examples

  • The theremin is also probably the only musical instrument designed by a man who also designed bugging equipment for the Soviet security system.

    A Laser Harp for the Elite Masses? - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

  • A theremin is a musical instrument ... a sort of electrical coil which gives off a humming sound.

    Archive 2007-06-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2007

  • A theremin is a musical instrument ... a sort of electrical coil which gives off a humming sound.

    Whistling towards the graveyard Matthew Guerrieri 2007

  • I said I was embarrassed not to know; someone had assured me that a theremin was a kind of "Eastern" religion, and the "cracking into a thousand pieces" was the consequence of being peered at by a waiflike holy man enveloped in a white shroud.

    Archive 2007-06-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2007

  • I said I was embarrassed not to know; someone had assured me that a theremin was a kind of "Eastern" religion, and the "cracking into a thousand pieces" was the consequence of being peered at by a waiflike holy man enveloped in a white shroud.

    Whistling towards the graveyard Matthew Guerrieri 2007

  • The theremin is a very difficult instrument to master.

    Theremin Auction 2007

  • Accordingly a theremin is a direct lesson in the interconnection of you, the environment, and others in a way that I do not see as straightforwardly obvious for other instruments.

    [theremin] we are all connected badger 2004

  • In 1919, he invented an electronic device known as the theremin, which was a unique musical instrument that could be played without physical contact.

    The Free Information Society 2008

  • In 1919, he invented an electronic device known as the theremin, which was a unique musical instrument that could be played without physical contact.

    The Free Information Society 2008

  • The dynamic range of the theremin, which is controlled by the left hand volume loop, is full and rich.

    NewMusicBox 2008

Comments

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  • A one-of-a-kind musical instrument: here's a demonstration.

    July 29, 2007