Hornpipe

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hornpipe \Horn"pipe`\, n. (Mus.)
     (a) An instrument of music formerly popular in Wales,
         consisting of a wooden pipe, with holes at intervals. It
         was so called because the bell at the open end was
         sometimes made of horn.
     (b) A lively tune played on a hornpipe, for dancing; a tune


         adapted for such playing.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               Many a hornpipe he tuned to his Phyllis. --Sir W.
                                                    Raleigh.
     (c) A dance performed, usually by one person, to such a tune,
         and popular among sailors.
         [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hornpipe
       n 1: a British solo dance performed by sailors
       2: music for dancing the hornpipe
       3: an ancient (now obsolete) single-reed woodwind; usually made
          of bone [syn: {pibgorn}, {stockhorn}]