Cithern

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪθən/

Definitions

1. A plucked string instrument resembling a lute, known for its flat body and distinctive curves that create harmonious melodies
2. An ancient musical device similar to a zither, commonly utilized in various folk music styles
3. A historical string instrument with a broad body and strings stretched across a sounding board, producing melodious tones for entertainment and ceremonial use

Etymology: A cithern is an archaic form of "cittern," the plucked string instrument with a flat pear-shaped body and wire strings that was popular in Elizabethan England. Its name is a blend, a word assembled from two older instruments: "cither" and "gittern." Both of those were themselves medieval plucked instruments, and the new name fused the start and sound of each into a single term. The blending is the most interesting part of the word's history. Rather than inheriting a name directly from one parent, the instrument's name was made by mixing two existing words, a process that produces a form that looks like neither source. The spelling "cithern" keeps the older "cither" shape more visibly than the modern "cittern" does, which is why the variant has come to be called the archaic form.