zither

[ zith-er, zith- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a musical instrument, consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the fingertips.

zither

/ ˈzɪðə /

a plucked musical instrument consisting of numerous strings stretched over a resonating box, a few of which may be stopped on a fretted fingerboard

Origin of zither¹

1840–50; < German < Latin cithara < Greek kithárá; kithara

Origin of zither¹

C19: from German, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara

How does zither compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Then, after a long wait, a man begins to play a song on a zither-like instrument, singing an exotic, warbling tune.

And because we have heard the great organ at Freiburg, shall the sound of Kathi's zither in the alpine hut please us no more?

Sometimes he would call upon Blanquette to accompany him on her almost forgotten zither.

Every hand was in view, and yet the zither continued to play its weird and wistful little tune.

After a long and painful silence the bell tinkled faintly, and as all listened breathlessly the zither began to play.

Silent, open-mouthed, staring, Stinchfield heard the zither descend to the table before him.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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