plec·trum

(plĕk′trəm)

n. pl. plec·trums or plec·tra (-trə)

A small thin piece of metal, plastic, bone, or similar material, used to pluck the strings of certain instruments, such as the guitar or lute.

[Latin plēctrum, from Greek plēktron, from plēssein, plēg-, to strike; see plāk- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plectrum

(ˈplɛktrəm)

n, pl -trums or -tra (-trə)

(Instruments) any implement for plucking a string, such as a small piece of plastic, wood, etc, used to strum a guitar, or the quill that plucks the string of a harpsichord. Also called: plectron

[C17: from Latin plēctrum quill, plectrum, from Greek plēktron, from plēssein to strike]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

plec•trum

(ˈplɛk trəm)

n., pl. -tra (-trə), -trums.

a small piece of rigid material, as plastic, ivory, or metal, used to pluck the strings of a musical instrument.

[1620–30; < Latin plēctrum < Greek plêktron]

plectrum

- Originally a device for tightening the strings of a harp, it is now the piece used to pluck a guitar's strings; its plural is plectrums or plectra.

plectrum

[ˈplektrəm] N (plectrums or plectra (pl)) [ˈplektrə] → púa f, plectro m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

plectrum

[ˈplɛktrəm] n → plectre m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

plectrum

n → Plektron nt, → Plektrum nt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

plectrum

[ˈplɛktrəm] n → plettro

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

plectrum

(ˈplektrəm) noun

a small piece of plastic etc for plucking the strings of a guitar.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Now slow The plectrum led to prayer the cloistered chords, Now loudly with the crash of falling rain, Now soft as the leaf whispering of words, Now loud and soft together as the long Patter of pearls and seed-pearls on a dish Of marble; liquid now as from the bush Warbles the mango bird; meandering Now as the streamlet seawards; voiceless now As the wild torrent in the strangling arms Of her ice-lover, lying motionless, Lulled in a passion far too deep for sound.

View in context

For sounds in winter nights, and often in winter days, I heard the forlorn but melodious note of a hooting owl indefinitely far; such a sound as the frozen earth would yield if struck with a suitable plectrum, the very lingua vernacula of Walden Wood, and quite familiar to me at last, though I never saw the bird while it was making it.

View in context

You mean, I said, those gentlemen who tease and torture the strings and rack them on the pegs of the instrument: might carry on the metaphor and speak after their manner of the blows which the plectrum gives, and make accusations against the strings, both of backwardness and forwardness to sound; but this would be tedious, and therefore I will only say that these are not the men, and that I am referring to the Pythagoreans, of whom I was just now proposing to enquire about harmony.

View in context

"What you seek is the Pick of Destiny," he tells them, relating the story stretching back to the Dark Ages, and a plectrum made from the tooth of a demon, which is now on display at the Rock And Roll History Museum.

FRESH

A guitar salesman (Stiller) talking of plectrums, tells the two: "What you seek is the Pick of Destiny," relating the story stretching back to the Dark Ages, and a plectrum made from the tooth of a demon, which is now on display at the Rock And Roll History Museum.

It's devilishly good rock fun

Goodwood: 5.45 Redwood Star, 6.15 Forehand, 6.45 Plectrum, 7.50 Penny Wedding, 8.25 Keyaki.

View from the training centres: Newmarket

PACK your plectrum for the world's largest free blues festival in Chicago this summer.

Holidays: TRAVEL UPDATE

``He is paralysed on the right hand side of his body but he retains some feeling and he can still hold a guitar plectrum.

Rock star faces long stay in hospital

But the concert seemed a bit impromptu, verging on madcap, when she confessed to forgetting her plectrum before getting one from the audience.

Horse shows she's a clear favourite

The Calcutta-born Sarathy will typically begin each raga with aggressive downswipes of his plectrum, gradually adding detail and building up the speed of his runs.

Boot-tapping and beer get festival off with a Bang; POST REVIEWS Lichfield Jazz Festival Lichfield Rugby Club/ Partho Sarathy Wolverhampton Arena Theatre

There is still some online trace of the Purple Rain singer on the web though as his last two albums, Art Official Age and Plectrum Electrum are still available on Spotify.

Prince wipes himself from social media

He has two separate hooks which he continually swaps round, one for everyday living and another specifically for the guitar with a plectrum attached to it.

ONE ARM MAN IN DREAM GIG