cello
A cello is a big stringed instrument that musicians play by drawing a bow across its strings or plucking them with their fingers.
You might hear someone say "I love playing the cello" when they're talking about practicing this beautiful-sounding instrument. You could also imagine a concert where a solo cellist takes center stage, and everyone else is quiet while she plays her heart out. Some people learn to play the cello in school music classes or private lessons, and then go on to perform in bands or orchestras. If you've ever gone to see a movie with a fancy-sounding score, there's probably a cello playing some of those notes – it adds so much depth and emotion to the music!
How common is "cello"?
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
noun
A large unfretted stringed instrument of the violin family with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) C-G-D-A and an endpin to support its weight, usually played with a bow.
Example: I haven't always been this cool because I haven't always played guitar. I started out on the cello. Yeah, the cello is a wonderful, beautiful instrument. It's cool to be an adult that plays the cello. Being a kid that played the cello sucked, cause there's no way to be cool when your instrument is larger than you. When you walk to school with a cello you're like a wounded gazelle on the Serengeti, man. The bullies just smell you coming from a mile away.
Real examples of "cello" in context
