What does panpipe mean?
A panpipe is a wind instrument made from a row of pipes of graduated lengths. The player blows across the open ends of the pipes, causing them to produce different notes. Panpipes are closely associated with folk music, pastoral traditions, and performances in which a single musician plays a melody on the instrument. The name is connected with Pan, the Greek god traditionally depicted playing pipes, and the related word “syrinx” also refers to a set of panpipes. Although the instrument is often described as a pan flute, “panpipe” is especially common in British and Irish musical contexts and in references to traditional reed-pipe music. The plural is “panpipes,” and the instrument can be counted as one, as in a set of panpipes.
nounA musical instrument consisting of a series of graduated pipes of different lengths, traditionally played by blowing across their open ends. The pipes are usually arranged in a single row and are held together in a frame or binding.
- A wind instrument made from a series of graduated pipes, played by blowing across the pipes.
"The musician played a lively melody on the panpipe during the festival."
"She carried a small panpipe to the outdoor concert."
"The panpipe gave the performance a warm, pastoral sound."
The plural is used for both an individual instrument considered as a set of pipes and multiple instruments.
"The musicians carried their panpipes through the village."
The panpipe’s name comes from the Greek god Pan, whose legendary pipes were said to have been fashioned from reeds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does panpipe come from?
The word is a compound of “pan” and “pipe,” and its name is traditionally associated with the Greek god Pan, who was represented playing a set of pipes. The instrument has ancient roots in several cultures, although the familiar panpipe is especially associated with South American and European folk traditions. The related terms “pandean” and “syrinx” also draw on the name of Pan and the Greek tradition of the panpipe.
Related word forms
How panpipe is actually used
The term is most often used for the traditional reed-pipe instrument associated with pastoral and folk music. “Panpipes” is also common, especially for the complete set of pipes.
Easily confused with panpipe
A pan flute is the instrument, while a panpipe is a traditional name for that instrument, especially one with a row of graduated pipes.