cittern
ərn noun
an old musical instrument related to the guitar, having a flat, pear-shaped soundbox and wire strings.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cittern
Collins
World English Dictionary
cittern, cither or cithern (ˈsɪtɜːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| Compare gittern a medieval stringed instrument resembling a lute but having wire strings and a flat back | |
| [C16: perhaps a blend of | |
| cither, cither or cithern | |
| —n | |
| [C16: perhaps a blend of | |
| cithern, cither or cithern | |
| —n | |
| [C16: perhaps a blend of | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Cittern
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
cittern
plucked stringed musical instrument that was popular in the 16th-18th century. It had a shallow, pear-shaped body with an asymmetrical neck that was thicker under the treble strings. Derived from the citole, a similar 14th- and 15th-century instrument with gut strings, the cittern had four unison courses of wire strings. Diapasons, additional courses to reinforce the basses of chords, were also common. The strings were hitched to the instrument end and passed over a violin-type, or pressure, bridge. Tuning of the principal strings was B-G-D-E (Italian) or A-G-D-E (French) in the octave below middle C
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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