The word "xylophone" is derived from the Greek words ξύλον (xúlon) (meaning "wood") and φωνή (phōnḗ) (meaning "sound, voice"), so literally "the sound of wood").  The name was coined in Europe in the 19th century to describe the wooden bars that make the instrument's sound. 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the first known use of the word "xylophone" in English was in the 1860s, specifically from a 1866 edition of the British literary magazine Athenaeum.  Other sources corroborate this, citing the same year or a similar 1865-1870 range for the word's introduction into the English language, with the instrument itself having earlier origins in Africa and Asia. 

Examples of "xylophone" used in a sentence:  
"Percussion is composed of sleigh bells, tambourine, xylophone and kettle drums."  
"The more the strings sound acid-toned and the piano xylophone-like, the better." 
"In the 16-second clip, five chickens peck at a xylophone nailed to a wall in their coop." 
"The xylophone is a percussion instrument, made of wooden bars with ronators underneath." 
"A xylophone is played using mallets made of rubber, acrylic, or plastic to strike the bars and produce the sound." 
"The xylophone typically has a range of three to four octaves."