sitar

[ si-tahr ]

noun

1. a lute of India with a small, pear-shaped body and a long, broad, fretted neck.

sitar

/ ˈsɪtɑː; sɪˈtɑː /

noun

1. a stringed musical instrument, esp of India, having a long neck, a rounded body, and movable frets. The main strings, three to seven in number, overlie other sympathetic strings, the tuning depending on the raga being performed

Derived Forms

• siˈtarist, noun

Other Words From

• si·tarist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sitar¹

First recorded in 1835–45, sitar is from the Hindi word sitār

Word History and Origins

Origin of sitar¹

from Hindi sitār, literally: three-stringed

Example Sentences

The album’s closing cut, “Rosa,” is a traditional merengue that Pabön turned into a psychedelic experiment with the addition of Indian sitar.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s a lot of talking going on while I sing my song,” she observes in “Ameriican Requiem” over guitar strums and electric sitar, adding, “It’s a lot of chatter in here.”

From New York Times

“You don’t remember a few years ago when we went to the fairgrounds, where there was a music performance of tabla and sitar, and all those food stalls, and you got those tiny Pakistani flags?”

From Literature

A sitar case leaned against the credenza housing her record player.

From New York Times

“Deep Blue” touches on Minimalism, psychedelia and traditional jazz, with a steady backbeat, a polytonal piano lick, electric sitar and back-talk from trumpet, clarinet and violin.

From New York Times