An ancient or primitive wind instrument, or in music history, the lower register of a clarinet before modern key systems were developed.
From French chalumeau, derived from Old French via Latin calamus meaning 'reed.' The same root gives us 'calamity' and relates to words describing hollow, brittle plants used for making pipes and musical instruments.
The chalumeau was the precursor to the modern clarinet—musicians had to dramatically change their embouchure and technique between registers, making early clarinet playing incredibly difficult compared to today. Early classical composers wrote 'clarinet' music that was actually divided between chalumeau and clarino players!
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