the.com/ocarina
A clay potato that hums like the ghost of a bird you never met.
means A small wind instrument, typically egg- or vessel-shaped and made of clay or ceramic, played by blowing across a mouthpiece and covering finger holes to change pitch.
from From Italian 'ocarina,' a diminutive meaning roughly 'little goose,' from 'oca' (goose) — itself from Late Latin 'auca,' a contraction of an unrecorded form tied to Latin 'avis' (bird). The name reportedly came from the instrument's plump, beaked silhouette, said to resemble a little goose. So the link to birds is baked right into the word, even if 'ghost of a bird you never met' is the essence's own embellishment.
- ancient age
- Versions date back over 12,000 years
- vessel flute
- Sound comes from the whole chamber, not length
- zelda fame
- A 1998 game made it globally iconic
- name origin
- Italian for little goose
- no overtones
- It can't play higher harmonics like other flutes
ocarina of time — nintendo 64 game released 1998, features ocarina as central gameplay mechanic
sweet potato ocarina — 12-hole ceramic wind instrument, most common type played in schools worldwide
peruvian clay ocarina — traditional pre-columbian instrument still handcrafted in andean peru with distinct vessel flute design