Clavier
/ˈklæv.i.ər/noun
A keyboard, especially one for a piano or other keyboard instrument.
Did you know?Clavier enters English through French from Latin clavis, meaning “key,” so the keyboard was literally imagined as a set of keys long before modern electronics.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kleh₂-
“to lean, to hook, to hang”
Latin
Latin
clavis
“a key; also something that fastens or unlocks”
Old French
Old French
clavier
“a keyring; a set of keys”
Middle English
English
clavier
“a keyboard instrument or keyboard”
Modern English
English
clavier
“a keyboard, especially for a piano or organ”