sitar

[si-tahr]

noun

1. a lute of India with a small, pear-shaped body and a long, broad, fretted neck.

sitar

/ ˈsɪtɑː, sɪˈtɑː /

noun

1. a stringed musical instrument, esp of India, having a long neck, a rounded body, and movable frets. The main strings, three to seven in number, overlie other sympathetic strings, the tuning depending on the raga being performed

Other Word Forms

• sitarist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sitar¹

First recorded in 1835–45, sitar is from the Hindi word sitār

Word History and Origins

Origin of sitar¹

from Hindi sitār, literally: three-stringed

Example Sentences

Whether it’s a semi-ironic obsession with artisanal cheese-making, a random passion for sitar music or a stubborn preference for a flip phone, there are many wonderful contradictions about humans that algorithms can’t quite pin down.

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“Good morning, sunshine!” chirps her mother in lo-fi, as a sitar shrugs along, giving the soul ballad a psychedelic touch.

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While in India he has also collaborated with sitar musician Megha Rawoot on a version of his hit song Shape of You.

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He said he knew the famous theme tune had captured the essence of 007 after switching the main riff from a sitar to an electric guitar.

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With echoey chords topped by electric sitar, the track is plush, slow and deeply, inconsolably despondent.

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