castanets Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
    bones; finger cymbals; clappers.

WordNet

Cas"ta*nets noun plural
Etymology
F. castagnettes, Sp. castañetas, fr. L. castanea (Sp. castaña) a chestnut. So named from the resemblance to two chestnuts, or because chestnuts were first used for castanets. See Chestnut.
Definitions
  1. Two small, concave shells of ivory or hard wood, shaped like spoons, fastened to the thumb, and beaten together with the middle finger; -- used by the Spaniards and Moors as an accompaniment to their dance and guitars. ✍ The singular, castanet, is used of one of the pair, or, sometimes, of the pair forming the instrument.
    The dancer, holding a castanet in each hand, rattles then to the motion of his feet. Moore (Encyc. of Music).

Webster 1913