CASTANETS, CASTAGNETTES, or CASTANETAS, a kind of musical instrument, wherewith the Moors, Spaniards, and Bohemians, accompany their dances, sarabands, and guittars. It consists of two little round pieces of wood dried, and hollowed in manner of a spoon, the concavities whereof are placed on one another, fastened to the thumb, and beat from time to time with the middle finger, to direct their motion and cadence. The castanets may be beat eight or nine times in the space of one measure, or second of a minute.