zither

noun

zith·​er ˈzi-t͟hər  -thər 

: a stringed instrument having usually 30 to 40 strings over a shallow horizontal soundboard and played with pick and fingers

zitherist

ˈzi-t͟hə-rist  -thə- 

noun

Illustration of zither

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Arman said that at some point his father taught himself to play the Santoor, a Persian instrument akin to a zither or a hammered dulcimer. —Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2022

Leontovych’s more dramatic works emulated the tradition of the Kobzars, the Ukrainian bards and history bearers who accompanied themselves on the bandura, a multistringed plucked instrument similar to a zither. —New York Times, 13 May 2022

Elsewhere, the film rests on the shoulders of Lyle Vincent’s refined cinematography, Michael Abels’ playful zither score and Blackk’s inquisitive performance as an artist trying to make sense of uncertain times through his art. —Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 Jan. 2023

At a large Asian American community picnic in Griffith Park in the early 1970s, Kuramoto spotted June Okida playing the koto, a zither-like instrument that typically has 13 strings. —Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2022

Zikina, the world music band consisting of guitarist and percussionist Mike Cardozo, bassist Roston Kirk, drummer Kade Parkin and Uganda instrumentalist Gideon Ampeire, who has built his own zither and thumb piano. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2022

The video itself begins with a playful nod to traditional Korean culture as Jisoo plucks out a melody from the zither while wearing a contemporary spin on the hanbok crafted by the next-generation couturier Miss Sohee, and Cartier jewelry. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 19 Aug. 2022

Modern readers are more intelligent, but just for the stragglers, a zither is a flat, stringed instrument, like a guitar with a shallower sound box and no neck. —David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2022

The Girl with the Flaxen Hair between themselves, vocalist Alexander scraped a baby-blue hair pick along the strings of a dulcimer (a type of zither) and all three clacked hair straighteners and threw curlers at each other, among other actions. —Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, 20 Oct. 2020

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Word History

Etymology

German, from Old High German zitara, cithara, from Latin cithara cithara — more at cither

First Known Use

1831, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

zither

noun

zith·​er ˈzit͟h-ər  ˈzith- 

: a stringed instrument with thirty to forty tuned strings that are plucked with the fingers or with a pick