Definition of "clavichord" [clav•i•chord]

• An early keyboard instrument with a soft sound produced by small brass wedges striking horizontal strings. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "They had organs, lutes, viols, lyres, harps, citherns, horns, and a kind of primitive piano known as the clavichord or the clavicembalo."
• "But through the assistance of a servant, the boy obtained an instrument, which he kept in the garret; and there, when opportunity offered, with the strings of his "clavichord" so covered with pieces of cloth as to deaden the sound, he practised music until he became a proficient in harmony."
• "The fortepiano timbre didn't reveal any new secrets in the solo portions — Bach's writing is still very much modeled on harpsichord/clavichord virtuosity — but when providing a rippling accompaniment to the whole ensemble, the softer, subtler touch made for an invitingly plush sound."