trombone

Where does the word "trombone" come from? It comes from Italian tromba, and was adopted directly into English (1720s).

Trombone’s story begins in Italian: tromba meant “a large trumpet.” A trumpet, combined with the augmentative suffix -one for a larger horn. It reached English by 1720s as trombone. Italian 'big trumpet'; it was called the 'sackbut' in earlier English. Today, trombone means a brass musical instrument with a sliding tube used to change pitch.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · 1500s tromba "a large trumpet", a trumpet, combined with the augmentative suffix -one for a larger horn.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1720s trombone "a brass instrument with a sliding tube", Italian 'big trumpet'; it was called the 'sackbut' in earlier English.