A mandolin is a small stringed musical instrument with a rounded body and a bright, ringing sound, usually played with a pick. It often has eight strings in four pairs.
From Italian 'mandolino', a diminutive of 'mandola', an older stringed instrument. The '-ino' ending in Italian often means 'little', so 'mandolin' is literally a 'little mandola'.
The mandolin’s name tells you its family history: it’s the 'little child' of an older instrument. Its bright, quick sound comes partly from those double strings, which act like a built-in chorus.
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