Lexic.us

Definition of Instrumental

1. Adjective. Relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments. "An instrumental ensemble"

2. Adjective. Serving or acting as a means or aid. "Instrumental in solving the crime"

Definition of Instrumental

1. a. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was instrumental in conducting the business.

Definition of Instrumental

1. Adjective. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; essential or central. ¹

2. Adjective. (music) Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, especially a musical instrument. ¹

3. Adjective. (grammar) Applied to a case expressing means or agency, generally indicated in English by ''by'' or ''with'' with the objective. ¹

4. Noun. (context: uncountable grammar) The instrumental case. ¹

5. Noun. (context: countable music) A composition without lyrics. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Instrumental

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Instrumental

1. 1. Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was instrumental in conducting the business. "The head is not more native to the heart, The hand more instrumental to the mouth." (Shak) 2. Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, especially. A musical instrument; as, instrumental music, distinguished from vocal music. "He defended the use of instrumental music in public worship." "Sweet voices mix'd with instrumental sounds." (Dryden) 3. Applied to a case expressing means or agency; as, the instrumental case. This is found in Sanskrit as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old English it was a separate case, but has disappeared, leaving only a few anomalous forms. Instrumental errors, those errors in instrumental measurements, etc, which arise, exclusively from want of mathematical accuracy in an instrument. Origin: Cf. F. Instrumental. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Instrumental

instructorship instructorships instructour instructress instructresses instructrix instructs instrument instrument flying instrument landing

instrument landing system instrument of execution instrument of punishment instrument of torture instrument panel instrumental instrumental amusia instrumental case instrumental cases instrumental conditioning

instrumental music instrumental rationality instrumental role instrumental version instrumental width instrumentalisation instrumentalisations instrumentalise instrumentalised instrumentalises

Literary usage of Instrumental

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association by American philological association (1897)
"The Syncretism of the Locative and Instrumental in Latin, by Professor HF ... Reasons for the union of the Instrumental and Ablative functions may be ..."

2. The Evolution of the Art of Music by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1906)
"CHAPTER VIII THE CLIMAX OF EARLY Instrumental MUSIC A.LTHOUGH the principles of design upon which modern self- dependent instrumental music is based had ..."

3. The Oxford History of Music by William Henry Hadow (1904)
"CHAPTER VII THE Instrumental FORMS CPE BACH AND THE GROWTH OF THE SONATA THE ... Before the time of CPE Bach instrumental music had been on the whole ..."

4. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1919)
"Although essentially a classicist, Spohr often gave titles to his instrumental works. They are lacking, however, in real poetic vitality, and so are seldom ..."

5. A Manual of Spherical and Practical Astronomy: Embracing the General by William Chauvenet (1874)
"In order to provide for such a case, I shall first consider the method of deducing the instrumental quantities by approximate but sufficiently exact ..."

Other Resources: