Gamelan
/ˈɡæm.ə.læn/noun
A traditional Indonesian ensemble featuring tuned gongs, metallophones, drums, and sometimes other instruments.
Did you know?In Javanese and Balinese culture, gamelan instruments have often been treated with respect as spiritually significant objects rather than merely musical tools.
Etymological Timeline
Early Javanese
Javanese
gamel
“To strike, hit, or hammer”
Early Javanese
Javanese
gamelan
“A collection of struck instruments; the suffix -an forms a noun associated with the action”
Precolonial Java and Bali
Javanese/Balinese
gamelan
“An ensemble of tuned gongs, metallophones, drums, and related instruments”
19th Century
Malay/Indonesian
gamelan
“A traditional ensemble, borrowed or shared through regional cultural contact”
19th Century
English
gamelan
“An Indonesian musical ensemble, especially one associated with Java or Bali”
Modern English
English
gamelan
“A traditional Indonesian ensemble and its distinctive cyclical gong-based music”
Explore more surprising origins