Orchestra

How to spell orchestra

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce orchestra

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does orchestra mean?

1. nounA large group of musicians playing together, typically combining string, wind, brass, and percussion instruments.

Orchestra in a sentence

• The orchestra tuned their instruments.

• The school orchestra performed at the concert.

Where does orchestra come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word comes from the ancient Greek orchestra, which literally meant 'the dancing place', built on the verb orcheisthai 'to dance'. In a Greek theatre this was the semicircular space in front of the stage where the chorus sang and danced. Latin took the word over as orchestra, and in Roman theatres it shifted to mean the seating area reserved for senators and dignitaries. English borrowed it in the early 1600s, and by the 1700s it had settled into its modern sense: first the part of a theatre where musicians played, and then the body of musicians itself. The spelling keeps the Greek 'ch' (pronounced as a hard 'k'), which is the main trap for writers who expect a plain 'k'.

How the word is built

• orchestr- (from Greek orchestra: the dancing space)
• -a (noun ending)