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vir·gin·al²

(vûrjə-nəl)

n. often virginals

A small, legless rectangular harpsichord popular in the 1500s and 1600s. Also called pair of virginals.

[From VIRGIN (perhaps from its being associated with female performers).]

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virginal2

17th-century German virginal

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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