Small, high-pitched flute-like instruments that are played by holding them sideways and blowing across a hole, commonly used in military and folk music.
From Middle French fiffe or German Pfeife, derived from Latin pipare (to pipe). The word entered English in the 16th century as these instruments became popular in European armies.
Fifes produce such piercing, bright sounds that a single fifer could coordinate entire military units across noisy battlefields—they're ancient technology for solving a real problem.
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