zither
[zith-er, zith -]
- a musical instrument, consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the fingertips.
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Origin of zither
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for zither
Historical Examples
My grandfather plays the violin and I the zither—we also go to fairs.
The Belovd VagabondWilliam J. Locke
It was exceedingly faint, like the distant thrumming of a zither.
The Blind SpotAustin Hall
I had once passed six months in Bavaria, where I had learned to love the zither.
Tenting on the PlainsElizabeth B. Custer
There also in the evening Bavarian minstrels jodel, and play the zither.
Historic OdditiesSabine Baring-Gould
It sounds like a zither players sweetest songs, said the rider.
Christ LegendsSelma Lagerlf
zither
- a plucked musical instrument consisting of numerous strings stretched over a resonating box, a few of which may be stopped on a fretted fingerboard
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Word Origin
C19: from German, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for zither
n.
stringed musical instrument, 1850, from German Zither, from Old High German zitara, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara "lute" (see guitar).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper