A banjo is a musical instrument that looks like a guitar with a circular body, a long neck, and four or more strings.
banjo in British English
(ˈbændʒəʊ)
nounWord forms: plural-jos or -joes
1.
a stringed musical instrument with a long neck (usually fretted) and a circular drumlike body overlaid with parchment, plucked with the fingers or a plectrum
2. slang
any banjo-shaped object, esp a frying pan
3. Australian and New Zealand slang
a long-handled shovel with a wide blade
4. (modifier)
banjo-shaped
a banjo clock
Derived forms
banjoist (ˈbanjoist)
noun
Word origin
C18: variant (US Southern pronunciation) of bandore
banjo in American English
(ˈbænˌdʒoʊ)
US
nounWord forms: pluralˈbanˌjos or ˈbanˌjoes
a stringed musical instrument having a long neck and a circular body covered on top with tightly stretched skin: the strings, usually four or five, are plucked with the fingers or a plectrum
Derived forms
banjoist (ˈbanjoist)
noun
Word origin
of Afr orig., prob. akin to Kimbundu (a Bantu language) mbanza, an instrument resembling the banjo