1. A keyboard instrument with strings struck by hammers, used especially in baroque music; a harpsichord or early piano.
Usage: musical instrument; often used in historical or classical music contexts; Italian origin; also called 'cembal' in some contexts

Examples

• The baroque composer wrote a concerto for cembalo and strings.
• She practiced her cembalo technique for hours each day.
• The museum displayed a beautifully preserved cembalo from the 18th century.
• The orchestra's cembalo player provided the continuo accompaniment.
• He learned to play the cembalo before switching to the modern piano.