Zither
/ˈzɪðər/noun
A stringed musical instrument with strings stretched across a flat sounding board, played by plucking or strumming.
Did you know?Zither ultimately comes from the same ancient root as Greek kithara, the word behind the modern guitar family, showing how one old string-name split into multiple musical lineages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰit-/*gʰeid-
“A likely prehistoric root connected with plucking or stringed instruments, reconstructed indirectly through later descendants.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kithara
“A lyre-like stringed instrument.”
Late Latin
Latin
cithara
“A stringed instrument borrowed from Greek.”
Old High German
OHG
zitera
“A stringed instrument, especially a psaltery or similar plucked instrument.”
Middle High German
MHG
ziter
“A zither or psaltery-like instrument.”
Modern English
English
zither
“A plucked string instrument with strings stretched over a flat body.”