Cithern
/ˈsɪtərn/noun
A Renaissance and Baroque stringed musical instrument related to the cittern and played by plucking its strings.
Did you know?The cithern belongs to the same ancient instrument lineage as the Greek kithara, an instrument associated with Apollo and elite musical performance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷʰit-
“A reconstructed root associated with stringed instruments or sounds; its exact meaning and reconstruction are debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κιθάρα (kithara)
“A large lyre-like stringed instrument used in formal musical performance.”
Classical Latin
Latin
cithara
“A kithara or similar plucked stringed instrument.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
cithara / citara
“A name applied to various lyre-like or guitar-like stringed instruments.”
16th Century
English
cithern
“A plucked Renaissance string instrument, also known as a cittern.”
Modern English
English
cithern
“A historical term for the cittern, a flat-backed, wire-strung plucked instrument.”