castanets

IPA/ˌkæstəˈnets/
IPA/ˌkæstəˈnets/

castanets — noun

1. a hand-held instrument from Spain made of two small hard shells — usually of woo

1.nounB1
Definition

a hand-held instrument from Spain made of two small hard shells — usually of wood, ivory, or plastic — that you slip onto the thumb and click with the fingers to make sharp rhythmic sounds, especially while dancing

Example

Diego slipped the castanets onto his thumbs before the dance began.

pattern: slip castanets onto your thumbs

A little girl named Ingrid learned to click her castanets in music class.

Common collocations
  • play the castanets
  • click castanets
  • a pair of castanets
  • snap castanets
  • wooden castanets
Synonyms
  • zills

    small metal finger cymbals used in Middle Eastern dance, not wooden like castanets

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural — you never say 'a castanet' for one piece, just as you don't say 'a scissor.'

Common Mistakes

She played the castanet.
She played the castanets.
The word is always plural, like 'scissors' or 'trousers.'

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Castanets are small wooden shells clicked together with the fingers and are most strongly associated with Spanish flamenco dance. Zills, also called finger cymbals, are small metal discs worn on the thumb and middle finger; they produce a bright, ringing chime rather than the dry click of castanets, and they belong to Middle Eastern dance traditions such as belly dancing. Claves are a pair of short, thick wooden sticks struck together; common in Cuban and Latin American music, they deliver a deeper, resonant knock that cuts through a full band. While all three instruments keep time and add rhythmic texture, each is tied to a specific cultural tradition and produces a recognisably different sound. For example, a flamenco dancer's castanets chatter rapidly alongside guitar, while a salsa band relies on the steady knock of claves to anchor the rhythm.

zillsclavesfinger cymbals

Common collocations

Nouns

  • a pair of castanets
  • castanets player

Phrases

  • play the castanets
  • click castanets
  • wooden castanets
  • snap castanets

Etymology

LatinSpanishEnglish

The word comes from Spanish castañeta, a diminutive of castaña ('chestnut'), because the two wooden shells resemble chestnuts. It entered English in the 17th century.