Definition

1. Noun:
   • A musical instrument: A bagpipe is a traditional wind instrument consisting of an airtight bag that supplies air to one or more reed pipes (called drones and a chanter). The player fills the bag with air by blowing into a blowpipe or using bellows and then squeezes the bag to force air through the pipes to produce a continuous sound.

Usage

• The word "bagpipe" is often used in its plural form "bagpipes" when referring to the instrument as a single entity (e.g., "He plays the bagpipes"). However, "bagpipe" is the correct singular form for the instrument type.
• It is typically used with the definite article "the" (e.g., "the bagpipe" or "the bagpipes").

Examples

• Noun:
  • The sound of the bagpipe is distinctive and often associated with Scottish culture.
  • She is learning to play the bagpipes.
  • A traditional bagpipe has a bag, a chanter, and several drones.

Advanced Usage

• "To pipe": To play on a bagpipe or a similar pipe.
  • The musician will pipe a tune at the ceremony.
• "Piping": The action or sound of playing a bagpipe.
  • The piping could be heard from across the glen.

Variants and Related Words

• Bagpiper (n): A person who plays the bagpipes.
  • The bagpiper led the parade.
• Bagpiping (n): The art or practice of playing the bagpipes.
  • He studied bagpiping in Scotland.

Synonyms

• Pipe: A general term for a wind instrument, sometimes used for bagpipes in specific contexts (e.g., "the great Highland pipe").
• Musette: A type of small French bagpipe.

Related Phrases

• Set of bagpipes: Refers to a complete bagpipe instrument.
  • He owns a beautiful set of bagpipes.
• Bagpipe music: Music composed for or played on the bagpipes.
  • The festival featured traditional bagpipe music.

Idioms

• None directly and exclusively from the single word "bagpipe". Common idioms involve the related word "pipe," such as "pipe down" (be quiet) or "pipe up" (speak suddenly), but these are not idioms of "bagpipe."

Noun

1. a tubular wind instrument; the player blows air into a bag and squeezes it out through the drone