organistrum

noun

or·​ga·​nis·​trum

ˌȯ(r)gəˈnistrəm

plural organistrums

: a large medieval hurdy-gurdy played by two musicians

In one scene, the king and queen are playing an organistrum, the predecessor of the minstrels' hurdy-gurdy …

—Benito Varela Jácome and A. Rodríguez Gonzáles, Santiago de Compostela, 1978

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin organum organ

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

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