lamellophone

noun

la·​mel·​lo·​phone lə-ˈme-lə-ˌfōn 

variants or less commonly lamellaphone

plural lamellophones also lamellaphones

: any of a class of musical instruments (such as the mbira, Jew's harp, or music box) whose sound is generated by plucking flexible tuned tongues of metal, wood, cane, or other material attached at one end to a small board or resonator and plucked with the thumbs or fingers or activated mechanically

called also linguaphone, thumb piano

compare aerophone, chordophone, electrophone, idiophone, membranophone

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

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