Plural of chirola; hand-operated percussion instruments or musical devices; devices made and played by hand.
Origin uncertain, possibly from Spanish or Portuguese 'chirola,' relating to hand-cranked or hand-operated instruments. The term appears in some medieval music histories.
Chirolas are incredibly obscure—they appear sporadically in historical music texts, suggesting they were regional or folk instruments that never became standardized, unlike drums or pipes.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.