1. Plural of cembalo; keyboard instruments of the harpsichord family, popular in Renaissance and Baroque music.
Usage: musical instrument; plural form; also called harpsichord

Examples

• The orchestra featured two cembalos for the Baroque concerto.
• Museum visitors admired the ornately decorated cembalos from the 17th century.
• The composer wrote separate parts for the cembalos in the continuo section.
• Early music ensembles often include cembalos to provide harmonic accompaniment.
• The concert program listed three cembalos among the period instruments.