cithara
See also: cíthara
English
Alternative forms
- kithara
Etymology
From Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára). Doublet of cither, guitar, and zither.
Noun
cithara (plural citharas or citharai or citharae or (archaic) citharæ)
- (music) An ancient Greek stringed instrument, which could be considered a forerunner of the guitar
Related terms
- citharist
- citharoedic
- citole
Anagrams
- Cathari, Chaitra, cathair, chirata
Latin
Alternative forms
- citera, chitera, chitarus
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára), with the common vacillation in the unstressed /er~ar/, as in Caesar- ~ Caeser-, hilaris ~ hilerus, materis ~ mataris.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈki.tʰa.ra/, [ˈkɪt̪ʰärä]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃi.ta.ra/, [ˈt͡ʃiːt̪ärä]
Noun
cithara f (genitive citharae); first declension
- (music) cithara, lyre, lute, guitar
- (New Latin) guitar (ellipsis of cithara hispānica.)
Declension
First-declension noun.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | cithara | citharae |
| Genitive | citharae | citharārum |
| Dative | citharae | citharīs |
| Accusative | citharam | citharās |
| Ablative | citharā | citharīs |
| Vocative | cithara | citharae |
Derived terms
- citharicen
- citharista
- citharizō
Descendants
- Middle French: citre
- French: cistre
- Italian: cetera, cetra
- Old Occitan: sedra, cidra
- Old Spanish: cedra
- Romanian: ceteră
Borrowings:
- → Arabic: قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra) (see there for further descendants)
- → Danish: citer
- → Middle Dutch: cythaer
- Dutch: citer
- → English: cithara, cither
- → French: cithare
- → Old High German: zitera, cithara
- German: Zither (see there for further descendants)
- → Portuguese: cítara
- → Spanish: cítara
References
- “cithara”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “cithara”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- cithara in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- “cithara”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “cithara”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin