kithara

American  

[kith-er-uh] / ˈkɪθ ər ə /

noun

1. a musical instrument of ancient Greece consisting of an elaborate wooden soundbox having two arms connected by a yoke to which the upper ends of the strings are attached.

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kithara British  

/ ˈkɪθərə /

noun

1. a variant of cithara

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Etymology

Origin of kithara

1350–1400; Middle English < Greek kithára lyre; cf. guitar, zither

Example Sentences

The kithara II is the latest in the ensemble’s collection.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2019

The kithara - a form of lyre - appears prominently on artefacts from Ancient Greece, such as this vase from the fifth century BC.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

The Spartan city of Cameia hosted a long series of knock-out talent shows for singers accompanying themselves on the kithara, a form of lyre.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

To this rite the kithara was used; but this worship, which was somewhat refined, though jovial, among the Greeks, became among the Romans so debauched and uxorious, that it was soon prohibited by law.

From Music and Some Highly Musical People by Trotter, James M.

The fifteen strings of the kithara were tuned according to this scale, and the A, recurring three times in it, acquired something of the importance of a tonic or key note.

From Critical and Historical Essays Lectures delivered at Columbia University by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)