cittern

American

[sit-ern] / ˈsɪt ərn /

noun

an old musical instrument related to the guitar, having a flat, pear-shaped soundbox and wire strings.

cittern British

/ ˈsɪtɜːn /

noun

a medieval stringed instrument resembling a lute but having wire strings and a flat back Compare gittern

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cittern

1550–60; blend of Latin cithara (< Greek kithára lyre, kithara ( def. ) ) and gittern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023