Lyra

[lahy-ruh]

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noun, genitive Ly·rae [lahy-ree] /ˈlaɪ ri/ for 1.

Astronomy. the Lyre, a northern constellation between Cygnus and Hercules, containing the bright star Vega.

a female given name.

(lowercase) glockenspiel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lyra

gong, tocsin, peal, tintinnabulation, angelus, lyra, glockenspiel

Examples from the Web for lyra

Contemporary Examples of lyra

The unusual textures (santouri, ney, lyra, clarinets, voices) impart a mystical quality to this work.
The Best Albums of 2014
Ted Gioia
December 13, 2014

Historical Examples of lyra

An example of a double star is to be found in the constellation of Lyra.
Aether and Gravitation
William George Hooper
I wonder that Lyra is satisfied with this interpretation, and follows it.
Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II
Martin Luther
A name in the Frith of Forth for the dragonet or gowdie (Callionymus lyra).
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
Every half-hour we are about ten thousand miles nearer to the constellation of Lyra.
Tracks of a Rolling Stone
Henry J. Coke
Orpheus's lute was placed in the heavens as the bright constellation Lyra.
Stories of Old Greece and Rome
Emilie Kip Baker

British Dictionary definitions for lyra

Lyra

noun Latin genitive Lyrae (ˈlaɪəriː)

a small constellation in the N hemisphere lying near Cygnus and Draco and containing the star Vega, an eclipsing binary (Beta Lyrae), a planetary nebula (the Ring Nebula), and a variable star, RR Lyrae

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

lyra in Science

Lyra

[lī′rə]

A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Cygnus and Hercules. Lyra (the Lyre) contains the bright star Vega.