The cello (plural cellos or celli — the c is pronounced [tʃ], as in the ch in "check", thus "chel-lo") is a bowed string instrument. The word derives from the Italian violoncello. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist.

The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra. It is the second physically largest member of the violin family of musical instruments, next to the double bass. The name Cello is an abbreviation of the Italian violoncello, which means "little violone", referring to the violone ("big viol"), the lowest-pitched instrument of the viol family, the group of string instruments that were superseded by the violin family.

Thus, the name carries both an augmentative "-one" ("big") and a diminutive "-cello" ("little"). By the turn of the twentieth century, it had grown customary to abbreviate the name violoncello to 'cello, with the apostrophe indicating the six missing prefix letters. It now is acceptable to use the name "cello" without the apostrophe and as a full designation.

Cellos are tuned in fifths, starting with C2 (two octaves below middle C) as the lowest string, followed by G2, D3, and A3. It is tuned the same way as the viola, only an octave lower. The cello is most closely associated with European classical music, and has been described as the closest sounding instrument to the human voice.

The instrument is a part of the standard orchestra and is the bass voice of the string quartet, as well as being part of many other chamber groups. A large number of concertos and sonatas have been written for the cello. The instrument is less common in popular music, but is sometimes featured in pop and rock recordings.

The cello has also recently appeared in major hip-hop and R & B performances, such as singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo's performance at the American Music Awards.[citation needed] The instrument has also been modified for Indian classical music by Nancy Lesh and Saskia Rao-de Haas.

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