zither

[ zith-er, zith- ]

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.

zither

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈzitherist, noun

Other Words From

• zither·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of zither¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of zither¹

C19: from German, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara

Example Sentences

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

“But that’s the world I came from. I had a three-manual harpsichord, and I played that. I played electric piano and zither, or something wild like that.”

From New York Times

After what he describes as a “sound vision,” a moment during meditation in which he was able to hear and experience those vast, universal reverberations, he bought his first zither.

From Washington Post