mandolin
UK[ˈmændəlɪn]US[ˈmændəlɪn]
n
A musical instrument of the lute family, having a pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and usually four pairs of metal strings played with a plectrum.
Etymology
The word 'mandolin' entered English in the early 18th century from the French 'mandoline', which itself came from the Italian 'mandolino'. The Italian term is a diminutive of 'mandola', a larger lute-like instrument. 'Mandola' traces back to the Late Latin 'pandura', a type of lute, which was borrowed from the Ancient Greek 'pandoura'. This Greek term is likely of non-Indo-European, possibly Anatolian, origin, reflecting the instrument's ancient roots in the Eastern Mediterranean. Thus, the modern word preserves the Italian diminutive form, directly naming the small, stringed instrument.
Analysis
The word is a loanword adopted as a single unit into English. It is not productively formed from separable English morphemes.
Examples
He played a lively folk tune on his mandolin.
The bluegrass band features a guitar, a banjo, and a mandolin.
She is learning to tune the double strings of the mandolin.