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zill

Other forms: zills

A zill is one of the finger cymbals that belly dancers traditionally play. Zills are made of brass and can be used to make a variety of musical sounds, from a delicate ringing to louder clacking.

The word zill comes from the Tukish zil, "cymbal." In Arabic, they're known as sagat or sajat. Belly dancers wear four zills on their hands, one on each thumb and one on each middle finger. The dancers accompany traditional Middle Eastern music with both their zills and their dancing bodies — if you've been lucky enough to try belly dancing, you know how incredibly challenging that is!

Definitions of zill
  1. noun
    one of a pair of small metallic cymbals worn on the thumb and middle finger; used in belly dancing in rhythm with the dance
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    type of:
    cymbal
    a percussion instrument consisting of a concave brass disk; makes a loud crashing sound when hit with a drumstick or when two are struck together
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