From Latin < Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra) < ὀρχοῦμαι (orkhoûmai, “to dance”) (an intensification of ἔρχομαι (érkhomai, “to go, come”), from Proto-Indo-European *ergh- (“to set in motion, stir up, raise”)) + suffix *-tra denoting "place".
orchestra (plural orchestras)
- (music) A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.
- A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.
- The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage, sometimes (also) used by other performers.
- (orchestra types) chamber orchestra, orchestra in residence, philharmonic orchestra, string orchestra, symphony orchestra
- In British English, "The orchestra are tuning up" is often used, implying the individual members. In the US, one would almost always hear "The orchestra is tuning up", implying a collective.
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
orchestra f (plural orchestre)
- orchestra (area in front of a stage)
orchestra f (singular, nominative/accusative, definite form of orchestră)
- the orchestra