orchestra
Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
or·ches·tra
(ôr′kĭ-strə, -kĕs′trə)n.
1. Music
a. A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including strings, woodwinds, brass instruments, and percussion instruments.
b. The instruments played by such a group.
2. The area in a theater or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage.
3.
a. The front section of seats nearest the stage in a theater.
b. The entire main floor of a theater.
4. A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in ancient Greek theaters.
[Latin orchēstra, the space in front of the stage in Greek theaters where the chorus performed, from Greek orkhēstrā, from orkheisthai, to dance.]
or·ches′tral (ôr-kĕs′trəl) adj.
or·ches′tral·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
orchestra
(ˈɔːkɪstrə)n
1. (Classical Music) a large group of musicians, esp one whose members play a variety of different instruments. See also symphony orchestra, string orchestra, chamber orchestra
2. (Classical Music) a group of musicians, each playing the same type of instrument: a balalaika orchestra.
3. (Theatre) Also called: orchestra pit the space reserved for musicians in a theatre, immediately in front of or under the stage
4. (Theatre) chiefly US and Canadian the stalls in a theatre
5. (Theatre) (in the ancient Greek theatre) the semicircular space in front of the stage
[C17: via Latin from Greek: the space in the theatre reserved for the chorus, from orkheisthai to dance]
orchestral adj
orˈchestrally adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
or•ches•tra
(ˈɔr kə strə, -kɛs trə)n., pl. -tras.
1. a group of performers on various musical instruments, including esp. strings, winds, and percussion, who play music together.
2. (in a modern theater)
a. the space reserved for the musicians, usu. the front part of the main floor (or′chestra pit`).
b. the entire main-floor space for the audience.
c. the front section of seats on the main floor; parquet.
3. (in an ancient Greek theater) the circular space in front of the stage, allotted to the chorus.
4. (in a Roman theater) a similar space reserved for persons of distinction.
[1590–1600; < Latin orchēstra < Greek orchḗstra the space on which the chorus danced, derivative of orcheîsthai to dance]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
orchestra
- wind band - A band of wind instruments or a collective term for the wind instruments of an orchestra.
- first chair - The premier musician playing a particular instrument in an orchestra—seated closest to the audience, taking the lead for that instrument's movements, and playing any solos.
- first violin - Leads the orchestra and plays notes in a higher range than second violins; parts for the first violin usually have more of the main tune and are technically more difficult to play.
- orchestra - The earliest senses of orchestra were "the semicircular area for the chorus to dance in an ancient Greek theatre" and the art of dancing itself (from Greek orkheisthai, "to dance").
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Orchestra
a group of performers on various instruments, 1720; the collective sound which is reminiscent of an orchestra playing, as the sound of the sea or the wind.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  orchestra - a musical organization consisting of a group of instrumentalists including string playerssection - a division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class musical group, musical organisation, musical organization - an organization of musicians who perform together chamber orchestra - small orchestra; usually plays classical music string orchestra - an orchestra playing only stringed instruments philharmonic, symphony orchestra, symphony - a large orchestra; can perform symphonies; "we heard the Vienna symphony" |
| 2. | orchestra - seating on the main floor in a theater seating, seating area, seating room, seats - an area that includes places where several people can sit; "there is seating for 40 students in this classroom" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
orchestra
Instruments in a full orchestra
violin, viola, double bass, piano, harp, piccolo, flute, oboe, cor anglais, contra-bassoon, bassoon, clarinet, french horn, trumpet, tuba, trombone, timpani, gong, bass-drum, xylophone, celesta, snare drum, tubular bellsCollins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
أورْكِسْتْرا: فِرْقَه موسيقِيَّهالأُورْكِسْتْرَا
orchestr
orkesterorkestergravorchestra
orkesteriorkesterimonttuorkestra
orkestar
zenekar
hljómsveit
オーケストラ
관현악단
orkestrasorkestrinisorkestro
orķestris
orchestraorkiestra
orchester
orkester
orkester
วงดนตรีขนาดใหญ่ที่เล่นเพลงคลาสสิค
dàn nhạc giao hưởng
orchestra
[ˈɔːkɪstrə]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
orchestra
[ˈɔːrkɪstrə] nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
orchestra
n → Orchester nt
orchestra
:orchestra pit
n → Orchestergraben m
orchestra stalls
pl → Orchestersitze pl; a seat in the orchestra → ein Orchestersitz m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
orchestra
(ˈoːkəstrə) noun a (usually large) group of musicians playing together, led by a conductor.
orˈchestral (-ˈkes-) adjective for, or given by, an orchestra. orchestral music; an orchestral concert.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
orchestra
→ الأُورْكِسْتْرَا orchestr orkester Orchester ορχήστρα orquesta orkesteri orchestre orkestar orchestra オーケストラ 관현악단 orkest orkester orkiestra orquestra оркестр orkester วงดนตรีขนาดใหญ่ที่เล่นเพลงคลาสสิค orkestra dàn nhạc giao hưởng 管弦乐队Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009