noun
bagpipes
BAG-pyps
noun
1
A wind instrument with an inflatable bag, a melody pipe, and one or more drone pipes that sound continuously as the bag is squeezed.
"A lone piper played the bagpipes as the procession entered the hall."
"Bagpipes are strongly associated with Scottish and Irish traditional music."
How to Use Bagpipes
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe wind instrument played by squeezing air from a bag through reed pipes, famous in Scottish military and folk music.
Common pairings
play the bagpipes
skirl of the bagpipes
Word Forms
bagpipe singular
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Etymology
Compound of bag and pipe(s), describing the instrument's air reservoir and sounding pipes.