ophicleide

[ of-i-klahyd ]

/ ˈɒf ɪˌklaɪd /

a musical wind instrument, a development of the old wooden serpent, consisting of a conical metal tube bent double.

Origin of ophicleide

1825–35; < French ophicléide < Greek óphi(s) serpent + kleid- (stem of kleís) key (akin to Latin clavis; see clavicle)

oph·i·clei·de·an, adjective

Ophicleide, of′i-klīd, n. a large bass trumpet, with a deep pitch.

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) |Various
In the ophicleide, the bass of the key-bugle, the bore is sufficiently wide to produce the fundamentals of a satisfactory quality.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 |Various
He made a point of taking his constitutional during the hour made hideous by the ill-starred aspirant on the ophicleide.

The Adventures of a Three-Guinea Watch |Talbot Baines Reed
The wooden serpent has gone out of use in military bands within recollection, the ophicleide from orchestras only recently.

Scientific American Supplement No. 819 |Various

Originally these tones were played by the Ophicleide or Serpent (now obsolete).

Music: An Art and a Language |Walter Raymond Spalding

ophicleide

/ (ˈɒfɪˌklaɪd) /

music an obsolete keyed wind instrument of bass pitch

C19: from French ophiclēide, from Greek ophis snake + kleis key