bagpipe

bagpipe — noun

1. a wind instrument with a leather bag that the player fills with air, then squeez

1.nounC1
Definition

a wind instrument with a leather bag that the player fills with air, then squeezes so the air flows out through one or more thin tubes to make a loud, droning sound.

Example

Kofi learned to play the bagpipes from his grandfather in a small village.

play the bagpipes (typical collocation)

The sound of bagpipes drifted across the misty hills at sunrise.

the sound of bagpipes (frequent collocation)

Common collocations
  • play the bagpipes
  • a set of bagpipes
  • the skirl of the bagpipes
  • bagpipe music
Synonyms
  • pipes

    informal short form, very common in Scottish and Irish contexts

  • Highland pipes

    specific name for the Scottish version with three drones

  • uilleann pipes

    Irish bellows-blown variety, softer in tone

Grammar Patterns

a/the bagpipes

play the bagpipes

Usage Note

Most often used in the plural form 'bagpipes', even when referring to one instrument. The verb 'play' takes 'the bagpipes' with the definite article, like other instrument names.

Common Mistakes

He plays bagpipe in the parade.
He plays the bagpipes in the parade.
instrument names take 'the', and this one is normally plural.
She bought a new bagpipes yesterday.
She bought a new set of bagpipes yesterday.
for a single instrument, use 'a set of bagpipes'.

2. the Scottish form of this instrument, having one tube with finger holes for the

2.nounC1
Definition

the Scottish form of this instrument, having one tube with finger holes for the melody and three longer tubes that hold a single steady note while the player blows air into the bag.

Example

At the Edinburgh festival, dozens of players in kilts marched while sounding the bagpipes.

common Scottish cultural setting

Aunt Fiona learned the bagpipes as a girl in a small Scottish town near Inverness.

subject + verb + the bagpipes

Common collocations
  • the Scottish bagpipes
  • a piper plays the bagpipes
  • the drone of the bagpipes
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

the bagpipes (Scottish context)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the specific Scottish instrument with three drone pipes, not any bag-and-pipe instrument worldwide. Often appears with cultural cues like 'Scottish', 'Highland', 'kilt', or place names.

Common Mistakes

The Scottish musician played bagpipe alone on the hill.
The Scottish musician played the bagpipes alone on the hill.
the Scottish instrument is referred to in the plural, with 'the'.

bagpipe — adjective

Word family

  • bagpipes
    nounC1
  • bagpiper
    nounC2
  • piper
    nounB2
  • piping
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name a wind instrument that is played by squeezing air out of a bag, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Bagpipe' (usually 'bagpipes') is the neutral, general word and covers any instrument of this family from any country. 'Pipes' is the everyday, informal short form used by players themselves: 'She plays the pipes.' 'Highland pipes' or the fuller 'Great Highland bagpipe' refers specifically to the loud Scottish marching instrument with three drones, and is the term used in formal music writing. 'Uilleann pipes' name the Irish version, which is bellows-blown, softer, and played sitting down. Use 'bagpipes' in general writing, 'pipes' in casual speech, and the more specific names when the country or sound matters.

bagpipe ↗pipesHighland pipesuilleann pipes

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bagpipe music
  • bagpipe band
  • bagpipe player
  • bagpipe lessons
  • bagpipe tune
  • set of bagpipes
  • drone of the bagpipes

Phrases

  • play the bagpipes
  • the skirl of the bagpipes
  • a piper on the bagpipes

Prepositions

  • on the bagpipes
  • with bagpipes
  • for bagpipes

Etymology

Middle EnglishModern English

First recorded in late Middle English around the fourteenth century, formed simply by joining 'bag' and 'pipe' to describe what the instrument looks like: a leather bag connected to one or more sounding pipes. Although the English name is medieval, instruments of this type are far older and existed across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe long before the word entered English. Today the word is most strongly associated with Scotland because of the Great Highland bagpipe.