clavicytherium

American  

[klav-uh-sahy-theer-ee-uhm] / ˌklæv ə saɪˈθɪər i əm /

noun

plural

clavicytheria

1. an upright harpsichord.

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Etymology

Origin of clavicytherium

1505–15; clavi- < Medieval Latin clāvis key + cytherium, for Latin citara kithara

Example Sentences

The invention of keys permitted the strings to be covered over, and therefore the strings of the clavicytherium were enclosed in a box, instead of being stretched on a box.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867. by Various

For the history of the clavicytherium considered as a forerunner of the pianoforte see Pianoforte.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various

The first stringed instrument to which this new device was applied was the clavicytherium, or keyed cithara.

From How the Piano Came to Be by Glover, Ellye Howell

In a clavicytherium at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts the opposite is true.

From Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries by Shortridge, John D.

In the clavicytherium at the Smithsonian Institution the plectra nearest the keyboard points to the player's left.

From Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries by Shortridge, John D.