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man·do·lin

(măn′də-lĭn, măndl-ĭn)

A small lutelike instrument with a typically pear-shaped body and a straight fretted neck, having usually four sets of paired strings tuned in unison or octaves.

[French mandoline, from Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandola, lute, from French mandore, from Late Latin pandūra, three-string lute, from Greek pandoura, perhaps of Mesopotamian origin.]

man′do·linist n.

(click for a larger image)

mandolin

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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