sitar

[ si-tahr ]

/ sɪˈtɑr /

Save This Word!

noun

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

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sitar

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

OTHER WORDS FROM sitar

si·tar·ist, noun

Words nearby sitar

sistrum, Sisyphean, Sisyphus, sit, Sita, sitar, sit at one's feet, sitatunga, sit back, sit bolt upright, sit by

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sitar in a sentence

First up, he got interested in Indian music and took lessons on sitar from Ravi Shankar.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers|Nik Cohn|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Paul McCartney wrote a few sentimental ballads, Harrison learned sitar.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers|Nik Cohn|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Legendary Lovers” has her cooing at her man over sitar backing to “say my name like a scripture.
‘Prism’ Review: Katy Perry Perfects the Pop Blockbuster|Kevin Fallon|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Motee sang again; but the accompaniment was wild and irregular, and the Khan at last threw down the sitar.
Confessions of a Thug|Philip Meadows Taylor

Sitar placed the two girls side by side and drew off to survey her work.
The Skylark of Space|Edward Elmer Smith and Lee Hawkins Garby
Returning to the others, they found Dorothy and Sitar deep in conversation.
The Skylark of Space|Edward Elmer Smith and Lee Hawkins Garby
She took the light silver-studded sitar and began a song of the great hero Rajah Rasalu.
Life's Handicap|Rudyard Kipling
Blanche brought her sitar and handed it to Chaudoreille, who raised his eyes to Heaven and heaved a big sigh as he took it.
The Barber of Paris|Charles Paul de Kock

British Dictionary definitions for sitar

sitar

/ (sɪˈtɑː, ˈsɪtɑː) /

noun

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

Derived forms of sitar

sitarist, noun

Word Origin for sitar

from Hindi sitār, literally: three-stringed

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