mandolin

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemusic

   A small stringed instrument with a rounded or flat body and pairs of strings, played with a pick.

   Grammar: Use the with the instrument in general: she plays the mandolin.

   Patterns

   • play the mandolin
   • a mandolin player

   He plays the mandolin in a bluegrass band.

   The song opens with a bright mandolin riff.

   She tuned her mandolin before the concert.

2. 2nouncountable

   A kitchen tool with a flat frame and an adjustable blade, used to slice food very thinly.

   Grammar: Often spelled mandoline for this meaning, with a final e.

   Patterns

   • slice something on a mandolin

   She sliced the potatoes thinly on a mandolin.

   Be careful when you use the mandolin, as the blade is very sharp.

   The chef used a mandolin to cut the cucumbers into even rounds.

Word forms

Common combinations

play the mandolin

My uncle can play the mandolin by ear.

mandolin player

The mandolin player stepped up for a solo.

mandolin strings

New mandolin strings make the sound brighter.

mandolin solo

The mandolin solo was the highlight of the night.

strum a mandolin

He sat on the porch and strummed a mandolin.

Synonyms and how they differ

lute

A lute is an older instrument with a larger pear-shaped body and is rarer in modern bands.

guitar

A guitar is bigger and has six strings, while a mandolin has eight in four pairs and a higher pitch.

banjo

A banjo has a round drum-like body and a twangy sound, while the mandolin is lighter and sweeter.

mandoline

Mandoline, with an e, is the usual spelling for the kitchen slicer.

Word family

mandolinist noun

a person who plays the mandolin

mandoline noun

a kitchen slicer, also spelled mandolin

mandola noun

a larger, lower-pitched relative of the mandolin

Commonly confused: mandolin or mandoline?

Practice

Make it your own

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