'Hurdy-gurdy' definitions:
Definition of 'hurdy-gurdy'
(from WordNet)
noun
A musical instrument that makes music by rotation of a cylinder studded with pegs [syn: barrel organ, grind organ, hand organ, hurdy gurdy, hurdy-gurdy, street organ]
Definition of 'Hurdy-gurdy'
From: GCIDE
- Hurdy-gurdy \Hur"dy-gur`dy\, n. [Prob. of imitative origin.]
- 1. A stringled instrument, lutelike in shape, in which the sound is produced by the friction of a wheel turned by a crank at the end, instead of by a bow, two of the strings being tuned as drones, while two or more, tuned in unison, are modulated by keys. [1913 Webster]
- 2. In California, a water wheel with radial buckets, driven by the impact of a jet. [1913 Webster]