lyre

[lahyuh r]

noun

a musical instrument of ancient Greece consisting of a soundbox made typically from a turtle shell, with two curved arms connected by a yoke from which strings are stretched to the body, used especially to accompany singing and recitation.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Lyra.

Origin of lyre

1175–1225; Middle English lire < Latin lyra < Greek lýra

Can be confusedliar lyre

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

Examples from the Web for lyre

Contemporary Examples of lyre

These pieces show Christov-Bakargiev wearing her Apollo hat and strumming the lyre too loudly.
The Art Exhibition Documenta Contains Almost Too Much Good Art to Experience
Blake Gopnik
June 9, 2012
We might conclude that the only thing of beauty that remains of him is the shape of his lyre in the stars.
Ann Wroe’s ‘Orpheus’: Why the Mythological Muse Haunts Us
Ann Wroe
May 31, 2012
Only head and lyre remained intact, floating down the River Hebrus from Thrace to the sea.
Ann Wroe’s ‘Orpheus’: Why the Mythological Muse Haunts Us
Ann Wroe
May 31, 2012

Historical Examples of lyre

Some lines of his on the lyre became the motto of an engraving by Bartolozzi.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
A lyre rested on his knees, and he was striking the strings softly.
Buried Cities, Part 2
Jennie Hall
And when he came upon Apollo striking his lyre, his heart leaped into his mouth.
Buried Cities, Part 2
Jennie Hall
He touched the strings of his lyre, and all things were silent with joy.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew
Josephine Preston Peabody
Alas, my dear Thomson, I fear it will be some time ere I tune my lyre again!
The Letters of Robert Burns
Robert Burns

British Dictionary definitions for lyre

lyre

noun

an ancient Greek stringed instrument consisting of a resonating tortoise shell to which a crossbar was attached by two projecting arms. It was plucked with a plectrum and used for accompanying songs

any ancient instrument of similar design

a medieval bowed instrument of the violin family

Word Origin for lyre

C13: via Old French from Latin lyra, from Greek lura

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

Word Origin and History for lyre

harp-like instrument, c.1200, from Old French lire "lyre," from Latin lyra, from Greek lyra, a foreign word of uncertain origin.