A hybrid instrument, combining a banjo body with the neck and tuning of a mandolin or violin (depending on whether fretted or not and how many strings it has).

The instrument has been independently invented in more than one country, being called banjolin and banjourine in English speaking countries, banjoline and bandoline in France and the cümbüş in Turkey. The name banjolin is said to be confined to a 4-string form, but in fact was first patented in 1885 for an instrument with 4 pairs of strings and is now commonly used interchangeably with mandolin-banjo.