clavier

noun

cla·​vier klə-ˈvir How to pronounce clavier (audio) ˈklā-vē-ər How to pronounce clavier (audio)
ˈkla-
1
: the keyboard of a musical instrument
2
[German Klavier, from French clavier] : an early keyboard instrument
clavierist
klə-ˈvir-ist How to pronounce clavier (audio)
ˈklā-vē-ə-rist
ˈkla-
noun
clavieristic
klə-ˌvi-ˈri-stik How to pronounce clavier (audio)
ˌklā-vē-ə-ˈri-stik
ˌkla-
adjective

Examples of clavier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As the historian Paul Johnson recounts in Mozart: A Life, Mozart began playing the clavier at age 4 and was composing at 5. David Z. Hambrick, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2015 His immaculate Bach playing has long served as a hallmark of the pianist’s artistry, and his F minor concerto stood as a model of how to make music written for clavier work convincingly on a modern instrument. John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 3 Nov. 2017 Among the boy’s notable skills was the capacity to perform brilliantly on the clavier, even when the keyboard was covered with a cloth. Jonathan Rosenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, key bearer, from Latin clavis

First Known Use

1694, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of clavier was in 1694

Dictionary Entries Near clavier

Cite this Entry

“Clavier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clavier. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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