fife

noun

ˈfīf 

: a small transverse flute with six to eight finger holes and usually no keys

Examples of fife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Participants include the local School of Rock and Suzuki School of Music. Southbury’s Heritage Village offers more than two dozen performers, including members of the Mohegan Tribe, square dancers, Chinese drummers and a fife and drum band. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2024

And the air is filled with the sound of fife and drum. —John Kaag, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024

Tarrant turned the second-story apartment into a broader historical museum, with numerous war artifacts, including his great grandfather’s diaries and sketches from the Civil War, along with his drum and fife. —Susan Glaser, cleveland, 10 Aug. 2023

His supporters, some dressed as American Revolution-era patriots and playing fifes, were thrilled by Ramaswamy’s turn in the spotlight Wednesday night. —Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

German Pfeife pipe, fife, from Old High German pfīfa, from Vulgar Latin *pipa pipe — more at pipe

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fife

• fife rail

Kids Definition

fife

noun

ˈfīf 

: a small high-pitched musical instrument resembling a flute

Geographical Definition

Fife

geographical name

ˈfīf 

variants or Fifeshire

ˈfīf-ˌshir 

-shər

administrative area of eastern Scotland between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth area 509 square miles (1319 square kilometers), population 365,198