zither

[ zith-er, zith- ]

/ ˈzɪθ ər, ˈzɪð- /

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noun

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.

QUIZ

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If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of zither

1840–50; <German <Latin cithara<Greek kithárá;see kithara

OTHER WORDS FROM zither

zith·er·ist, noun

Words nearby zither

zirconium, zirconium oxide, zirconyl, Ziska, zit, zither, zithern, Zithromax, ziti, zittern, Ziusudra

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use zither in a sentence

Then, after a long wait, a man begins to play a song on a zither-like instrument, singing an exotic, warbling tune.
Petra by Night|David Frum|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And because we have heard the great organ at Freiburg, shall the sound of Kathi's zither in the alpine hut please us no more?
Little Rivers|Henry van Dyke
Sometimes he would call upon Blanquette to accompany him on her almost forgotten zither.
The Belovd Vagabond|William J. Locke
Every hand was in view, and yet the zither continued to play its weird and wistful little tune.
Victor Ollnee's Discipline|Hamlin Garland

After a long and painful silence the bell tinkled faintly, and as all listened breathlessly the zither began to play.
Victor Ollnee's Discipline|Hamlin Garland
Silent, open-mouthed, staring, Stinchfield heard the zither descend to the table before him.
Victor Ollnee's Discipline|Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for zither

zither

/ (ˈzɪðə) /

noun

a plucked musical instrument consisting of numerous strings stretched over a resonating box, a few of which may be stopped on a fretted fingerboard

Derived forms of zither

zitherist, noun

Word Origin for zither

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012