sackbut · noun — A brass instrument from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras, and an ancestor of the modern trombone. It was derived from the medieval slide trumpet.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Why “sackbut” is a great word
A brass instrument of the Renaissance and Baroque eras, characterized by a telescoping slide and considered an ancestor of the modern trombone. From Middle French *saquebute*, from Old North French *saquer* ("to pull") + *bouter* ("to push"), first recorded in English 1530–40. Unlike "trombone" (which denotes its louder, wider-bored modern descendant) or "slide trumpet" (where only the mouthpiece moves), the sackbut possesses a fully telescoping U-shaped slide, granting it quiet, vocal agility. It is the subdued, silvery voice threading through a Palestrina mass, the respectful consort member supporting a viol, the cool resistance of the slide drawn outward like a drawer in a walnut cabinet—a breath of collaborative sound, now largely replaced by its brasher heir.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From French sacqueboute, from Middle French sacquer (“to pull”) + bouter (“to push”).
noun
- A brass instrument from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras, and an ancestor of the modern trombone. It was derived from the medieval slide trumpet.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- saxtuba 67% match — An obsolete valved brasswind instrument inspired by the Ancient Roman cornu and tuba. vs sackbut →
- buisine 62% match — A medieval wind instrument with a very long, straight and slender body, usually made of metal. vs sackbut →
- buccina 62% match — A curved brass instrument used by the Ancient Roman army. vs sackbut →
- cornamuse 60% match — A type of double reed instrument from the Renaissance. vs sackbut →
- cimbasso 60% match — A cylindrical valved instrument in the low brass family, closely related to the trombone and normally pitched a fifth or an octave below the tenor and bass trombones. vs sackbut →
- sordono 59% match — An old musical instrument of the oboe family, resembling the bombard. vs sackbut →
- trombone 59% match — A musical instrument in the brass family, having a cylindrical bore, and usually a sliding tube (but sometimes piston valves, and rarely both). Most often refers to the tenor trombone, which is the most common type of trombone and has a fundamental tone of B♭ˌ (contra B♭). vs sackbut →
- cornetto 59% match — A trumpet-like wind instrument used in European music of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. vs sackbut →