xylophone

Where does the word "xylophone" come from? It comes from Greek xylon, passing through French before entering English (1866).

Xylophone’s story begins in Greek: xylon meant “wood.” The root of 'xylem', a plant's woody tissue. By 1866, the word had taken hold in French as xylophone. Formed from Greek xylon (wood) and phone (sound), for the wooden-barred percussion instrument. It reached English by 1866 as xylophone. Greek 'wood-sound'; Saint-Saëns used it in 'Danse macabre' (1874) to depict rattling bones. Today, xylophone means a percussion instrument with wooden bars struck to produce musical notes.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient xylon "wood", the root of 'xylem', a plant's woody tissue.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1866 xylophone "wood-sound", formed from Greek xylon (wood) and phone (sound), for the wooden-barred percussion instrument.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1866 xylophone "a wooden-barred percussion instrument", Greek 'wood-sound'; Saint-Saëns used it in 'Danse macabre' (1874) to depict rattling bones.