\Xy"lo*phone\, n. [Xylo- + Gr. fwnh` sound.]
1. (Mus.) An instrument common among the Russians, Poles, and
   Tartars, consisting of a series of strips of wood or glass
   graduated in length to the musical scale, resting on belts
   of straw, and struck with two small hammers. Called in
   Germany {strohfiedel}, or {straw fiddle}.
2. An instrument to determine the vibrative properties of
   different kinds of wood. --Knight.