French Conversation · Level 87
60 words
French word
castagnettes
Pronunciation
IPA/kastaɲɛt/
Meaning
- feminine nouncastanets
Example
Elle joue des castagnettes.
She plays the castanets.
More examples
Il aime jouer des castagnettes lors des fêtes.
He likes to play castanets at festivals.
Core concept
Two small shell-shaped pieces clicked together between the fingers to keep a beat.
Common phrases
jouer des castagnettes
play castanets
faire claquer des castagnettes
make castanets clatter
un jeu de castagnettes
a pair of castanets
Similar words
maracas: A handheld percussion instrument filled with small beads that rattle when shaken.
tambourin: A small drum with a circular, skin-covered body played by hand or with a stick.
triangle: A metal percussion instrument shaped like a triangle and struck with a beater.
claves: A wooden percussion instrument made of two hard sticks struck together.
Definition in French
Instrument de musique à percussion, portable et tenu entre les doigts, formé de deux coquilles que l'on entrechoque pour marquer le rythme ; mot généralement utilisé au pluriel.
Word origin
The French noun castagnette comes through Spanish castañeta, a diminutive of castaña, meaning chestnut.
Usage tips
- French generally uses castagnettes in the plural, as in jouer des castagnettes, rather than treating the instrument as a singular object.