zither

American  

[zith-er, zith-] / ˈzɪθ ər, ˈzɪð- /

noun

1. 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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zither British  

/ ˈzɪðə /

noun

1. 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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Other Word Forms

• zitherist noun

Etymology

Origin of zither

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

Compare meaning

How does zither compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• zither vs. Autoharp

Explanation

A zither is a musical instrument, kind of like a guitar without the neck and way more strings. You play a zither by strumming or plucking the strings with your fingers or a pick. Zither comes from the same root word as guitar — the Greek word kithara for "lute.” They’re all stringed instruments, but a zither’s strings go across the sound box. An Autoharp is a kind of zither, so if you've played an Autoharp, you've played a zither. Zithers are often used in European folk music, and have about 30-40 strings. Originally, the zither was an Austrian instrument, but it’s been used in England since the mid-1850s.

Example Sentences

Women wearing long wigs and ornate traditional dresses milled around a pebbled courtyard, stopping to snap photos under a pavilion, as the melodious strumming of the Chinese zither played in the background.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

Diners listen to the guzheng, a Chinese zither, while they sit at boat-shaped tables surrounded by landscapes around the West Lake, an icon of the coastal province.

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2025

Playing zither and kalimba, a solar-intense Laraaji unlocked sheafs of astounding, ethereal noise, an unintended, confident rebuke to what had been happening before his arrival.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2024

For “Bound,” Huang turned to Vietnamese instruments, using both the đàn bầu, a type of lute, and đàn tranh, a type of zither.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 7, 2023

Pietro Crespi turned pale, gave the zither to one of his pupils, and dismissed the class.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez