n.
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[treated as sing. or pl.]
a group of instrumentalists, especially one combining string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections.
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(also orchestra pit)
the part of a theatre where the orchestra plays, typically in front of the stage and on a lower level.
- N. Amer. the stalls in a theatre.
- the semicircular space in front of an ancient Greek theatre stage where the chorus danced and sang.
Derivative
- orchestral adj.
- orchestrally adv.
Etymology
C17: via L. from Gk orkhēstra, from orkheisthai ‘to dance’.