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or·ches·tra (ôrkĭ-strə, -kĕs′trə)
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n.
1. Music
a. A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including strings, woodwinds, brass instruments, and percussion instruments.
b. The instruments played by such a group.
2. The area in a theater or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage.
3.
a. The front section of seats nearest the stage in a theater.
b. The entire main floor of a theater.
4. A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in ancient Greek theaters.
[Latin orchēstra, the space in front of the stage in Greek theaters where the chorus performed, from Greek orkhēstrā, from orkheisthai, to dance.]
or·chestral (ôr-kĕstrəl) adj.
or·chestral·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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:

    Indo-European Roots

    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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