helicon

noun

hel·​i·​con ˈhe-lə-ˌkän 

-li-kən

: a large circular tuba similar to a sousaphone but lacking an adjustable bell

Illustration of helicon

Examples of helicon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Allan Jaffe, who played the helicon, a brass instrument, was the link to the musicians and sent them out on the road as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. —New York Times, 31 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

probably from Greek helik-, helix + English -on (as in bombardon); from its tube's forming a spiral encircling the player's body

First Known Use

circa 1875, in the meaning defined above

Geographical Definition

Helicon

geographical name

Hel·​i·​con ˈhe-lə-ˌkän 

-li-kən

variants or Modern Greek Elikón

ˌe-lē-ˈkȯn 

mountain 5735 feet (1748 meters) high in southwestern Boeotia, east central Greece, near the Gulf of Corinth