What does orchestrate mean?
Word: Orchestrate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Orchestrate means to plan and organise something carefully so that it happens the way you want; also to arrange a piece of music for an orchestra.
Synonyms: organise, coordinate
Word origin: From orchestra, which reached English through Latin from Greek; the verb dates from the late 1800s.
How do you spell orchestrate?
Syllables: or - ches - trate
Tricky part: The ch sounds like k, as in chorus and school, so students write orkestrate.
Watch out for: orkestrate, orchestrait, orchastrate
Memory tip: Orchestrate grows straight out of orchestra, so it keeps the ch of orchestra even though you hear a k.
Orchestrate in a sentence
Example 1: The class monitor orchestrated a surprise card for our teacher's birthday.
Example 2: The music teacher orchestrated the school song for violins, flutes and tabla.
Example 3: Grandma orchestrates the whole family's Diwali cooking from her kitchen stool.
Fun Fact
Some famous pieces were orchestrated by someone other than the composer: Maurice Ravel orchestrated Mussorgsky's piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition in 1922.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks with 'e' and 'a'. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. orch__str__te 2. or__g__n 3. arch__t__ct 4. reg__st__r
a) an official list of names
b) the point where something begins
c) to organise something carefully so that it goes as planned
d) a person who designs buildings
Show answer
c) to organise something carefully so that it goes as planned. E and then a complete orchestrate; register and architect need i, e, and origin needs i, i.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with words of similar meaning:
1. orchestrate 2. postpone 3. commence a. begin b. mastermind c. defer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. To orchestrate a plan is to mastermind it, to postpone is to defer, and to commence is to begin.
Back to the Roots
Complete the sentence:
Orchestrate is built on a word from Greek. In an ancient Greek theatre, that word named ___.
a) the roof above the stage
b) the actors' changing room
c) the seats kept for rulers
d) the space where the chorus danced
Show answer
d) the space where the chorus danced. The Greek orkhestra came from a verb meaning to dance, because the chorus danced in that space.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with orchestrate?
a) demonstrate
b) illustrate
c) concentrate
d) literate
Show answer
d) literate. Literate ends in a weak it sound; the other three end with the strong ate of late.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. 'Priya orchestrated the school's annual day.' What did Priya do?
a) planned and organised it carefully
b) performed the main dance in it
c) arrived late for it
d) only watched it from the audience
Show answer
a) planned and organised it carefully
2. Whose work most often includes orchestrating music?
a) a ticket seller at the concert hall
b) a tailor sewing costumes for the band
c) a composer writing parts for each instrument
d) a sound engineer repairing the speakers
Show answer
c) a composer writing parts for each instrument
