orchestra

English Online Dictionary. What means orchestra‎? What does orchestra mean?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin orchēstra, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra) (a derivative of ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai, “to dance”)).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹkəstɹə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːkəstɹə/
• Hyphenation: or‧ches‧tra

Noun

orchestra (plural orchestras or (rare) orchestrae)

1. (music) A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.
2. A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.
3. The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage, sometimes (also) used by other performers.

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Anagrams

• carthorse, horsecart, rheocrats

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔʁ.kɛs.tʁa/

Verb

orchestra

1. third-person singular past historic of orchestrer

Anagrams

• torcheras

Italian

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /orˈkɛ.stra/
• Rhymes: -ɛstra
• Hyphenation: or‧chè‧stra

Noun

orchestra f (plural orchestre)

1. orchestra
2. band
3. orchestra pit

Derived terms

• orchestrale
• orchestrare

Descendants

• → Turkish: orkestra

Etymology 2

Verb

orchestra

1. inflection of orchestrare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• orchestra in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /orˈkʰeːs.tra/, [ɔrˈkʰeːs̠t̪rä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /orˈkes.tra/, [orˈkɛst̪rä]

Noun

orchēstra f (genitive orchēstrae); first declension

1. orchestra (area in front of a stage)

Declension

First-declension noun.

Descendants

References

• “orchestra”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “orchestra”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• orchestra in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “orchestra”, in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎^[1]
• “orchestra”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “orchestra”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /urˈkestra/

Noun

orchestra f (plural orchestre)

1. orchestra

Romanian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French orchestrer.

Verb

a orchestra (third-person singular present orchestrează, past participle orchestrat) 1st conj.

1. to orchestrate

Conjugation

Etymology 2

Noun

orchestra f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of orchestră