pitchpipe

See also: pitch pipe

English

Etymology

From pitch +‎ pipe.

Noun

pitchpipe (plural pitchpipes)

1. (music) A small pipe used to set the pitch for an instrument, song etc. [from 17th c.]
   • a. 1969, John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces, Penguin, published 1981, →ISBN:

     The lady with the spiritual bent blew a pitchpipe and the choir members began singing lustily, “Oh, Jesus, walk by my side, / Then I always, always be satisfied.”