Instrumental

3 definitions found

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

  Instrumental \In`stru*men"tal\, a. [Cf. F. instrumental.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing
        to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was
        instrumental in conducting the business.
        [1913 Webster]


  
              The head is not more native to the heart,
              The hand more instrumental to the mouth. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Mus.) Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an
        instrument, esp. a musical instrument; as, instrumental
        music, distinguished from vocal music. "He defended the
        use of instrumental music in public worship." --Macaulay.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Sweet voices mix'd with instrumental sounds.
                                                    --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Gram.) Applied to a case expressing means or agency; as,
        the instrumental case. This is found in Sanskrit and
        Russian as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged
        into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old
        English it was a separate case, but has disappeared,
        leaving only a few anomalous forms.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Instrumental errors}, those errors in instrumental
        measurements, etc., which arise, exclusively from lack of
        mathematical accuracy in an instrument.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  instrumental
       adj 1: relating to or designed for or performed on musical
              instruments; "instrumental compositions"; "an
              instrumental ensemble" [ant: {vocal}]
       2: serving or acting as a means or aid; "instrumental in
          solving the crime" [syn: {implemental}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  52 Moby Thesaurus words for "instrumental":
     accessory, adjuvant, advantageous, agential, agentival, agentive,
     ancillary, assistant, assisting, auxiliary, beneficial, catalytic,
     concert, conducive, contributory, dramatico-musical, employable,
     facilitating, favoring, forwarding, fostering, handy, helpful,
     helping, important, intermediary, jazz, jazzy, mediating,
     mediatorial, ministerial, ministering, ministrant, nurtural,
     nutricial, of service, orchestral, promoting, rock, serviceable,
     serving, significant, subservient, subsidiary, supporting,
     supportive, swing, symphonic, syncopated, useful, utilitarian,
     valuable