A musician who plays the cello, a large stringed instrument held between the legs while playing.
From 'cello' (short for 'violoncello,' from Italian 'violone' meaning 'large viol') plus the suffix '-ist' (meaning 'one who plays'). The cello was developed in Italy in the 16th century and the word for its player was created when the instrument became popular.
The cello is the only major orchestra instrument with a name that's a abbreviation—'violoncello' is the original Italian name, but musicians just call it 'cello,' so the player is a 'cellist'! It's like how smartphones changed language—we shorten the word, and a whole new word is born.
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