psaltery

American

[sawl-tuh-ree] / ˈsɔl tə ri /

noun

plural

psalteries

an ancient musical instrument consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings which are plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum.
(initial capital letter) the Psalter.

psaltery British

/ ˈsɔːltərɪ /

noun

music an ancient stringed instrument similar to the lyre, but having a trapezoidal sounding board over which the strings are stretched

"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 psaltery

1300–50; Middle English sautrie < Middle French sauter(i)e < Late Latin psaltērium; see Psalter

Vocabulary lists containing psaltery

Musical Instruments - High School

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the demand for psaltery players and country fiddlers was not exactly booming.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is akin to the biblical instrument called the psaltery.

From Time Magazine Archive

She strummed on a psaltery which looks like a large, shallow cigar-box with strings.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then, when the fad for folk singing mushroomed in the late 1950s, everyone was suddenly stuck on the psaltery.

From Time Magazine Archive

I know not any fear of thrones, No claim of Scribe and Pharisee; My word is set to many tones Of lute and harp and psaltery.

From The Piper and the Reed by Norwood, Robert W.

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