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; kithara

Compare meaning

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

• zither vs. Autoharp

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

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

Korla theater had come into style in the nearby capital of Turfan, and the resulting income had brought other arts—Sogdian inlay, Chinese zither players, Kuchean dancers.

From Literature

“We had this weird guitar ensemble,” says Graham, “with lots of different guitars and mandolins, mandocellos, a zither, some keyboards — all old-fashioned stuff — bass, some percussion, a couple of cellos and a harmonica.”

From Los Angeles Times

He has sipped tea in a garden with President Emmanuel Macron of France, treating him to a performance of an ancient Chinese zither.

From New York Times