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trum·pet (trŭmpĭt)
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n. pl. trum·pets
1.
a. Music A soprano brass instrument consisting of a long metal tube looped once and ending in a flared bell, the modern type being equipped with three valves for producing variations in pitch.
b. Something shaped or sounding like this instrument.
2. Music An organ stop that produces a tone like that of the brass instrument.
3. A resounding call, as that of the elephant.
v. trum·pet·ed, trum·pet·ing, trum·pets
v. intr.
1. Music To play a trumpet.
2. To give forth a resounding call.
v. tr.
To sound or proclaim loudly.
[Middle English trompet, from Old French trompette, diminutive of trompe, horn, trumpet, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German trumba, horn, trumpet, and ultimately of imitative origin.]
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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