CLAVICEMBALO. One of the Italian names for a harpsichord, and the most used. It is derived from clavis, a key, and cembalo, a dulcimer or psaltery. Other Italian names for this instrument are gravicembalo (a phonetic variation caused by the interchange of r with l) and harpicordo, from which comes our ‘harpsichord.
’ [See Cembalo, and Harpsichord.]
