zither

zith·er

Z0020000 (zĭth′ər, zĭth′-) also zith·ern (-ərn)n. A musical instrument composed of a flat sound box with about 30 to 40 strings stretched over it and played horizontally with the fingertips, a plectrum, or a bow, or set into vibration by the wind, as in the Aeolian harp.

[German, from Middle High German *zitter, from Old High German zitera, from Latin cithara, cithara, from Greek kitharā.]

zith′er·ist n.

zither

(ˈzɪðə) n (Instruments) a plucked musical instrument consisting of numerous strings stretched over a resonating box, a few of which may be stopped on a fretted fingerboard[C19: from German, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara] ˈzitherist n

zith•er

(ˈzɪθ ər, ˈzɪð-)

n. a musical instrument, consisting of a flat sounding box with strings stretched over it, that is placed on a horizontal surface and played with a plectrum and the fingertips. [1840–50; < German < Latin cithara < Greek kithárá; see kithara] zith′er•ist, n.

Thesaurus

Noun

zither - a musical stringed instrument with strings stretched over a flat sounding board; it is laid flat and played with a plectrum and with fingerscither, zitherndulcimer - a trapezoidal zither whose metal strings are struck with light hammersstringed instrument - a musical instrument in which taut strings provide the source of sound

Translations

zither

(zĭth`ər), stringed musical instrument, derived from the psalterypsaltery
, stringed musical instrument. It has a flat soundboard over which a variable number of strings are stretched. Its origin was in the Middle East, and it is referred to in the Bible. It appeared in Europe in the 12th cent. and flourished until the late Middle Ages.
..... Click the link for more information. and the dulcimerdulcimer
, stringed musical instrument. It is a wooden box with strings stretched over it that are struck with small mallets. The number of strings may vary. The dulcimer is related to the psaltery and modern zither.
..... Click the link for more information. . It has a flat sound box over which are stretched from 30 to 45 strings; these are plucked with the fingers and a plectrum. In the 18th cent. one or both sides began to be curved to produce greater sonority. The term zither is also used generically for various instruments, including the dulcimer, the psaltery, and several Asian instruments. The dulcimer in use in the Kentucky mountains is, in fact, a zither.

Zither

a stringed instrument played by plucking. The zither has an irregularly shaped flat wooden body. Two sides of the soundboard, one long and one short, form a right angle; opposite them lie a convex and a concave side. Along the long straight side is a fretted fingerboard over which are stretched four or five metal strings that are plucked with a plectrum worn on the thumb of the right hand. Beyond the fingerboard are 25 to 40 gut strings, which are played with the remaining fingers of the right hand. The zither was known in several ancient countries and had a different number of strings. The zither has been known in Western Europe since the late 18th century and was especially popular in 19th-century Germany and Austria. The instrument appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century.

REFERENCES

Iodko, V. Tsitra. Kratkii istoricheskii ocherk i opisanie instrumenta. Moscow, 1914.
Modr, A. Muzykal’nye instrumenty. Moscow, 1959. Pages 56–58.
Brandlmeier, J. Handbuch der Zither. Munich [1963].

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

zither

zith·er

zither

zith•er

zither

zither

Zither

REFERENCES

zither

zither

Synonyms for zither

noun a musical stringed instrument with strings stretched over a flat sounding board

Synonyms

Related Words