Salterion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An ancient stringed instrument, related to the psaltery, whose strings were plucked or struck to produce sound
2. A medieval and classical plucked instrument with a flat soundboard and many strings stretched across it
3. A historical musical instrument of the zither family, played in ancient and medieval times and often used in sacred music

Etymology: The psaltery is an old plucked instrument, and "salterion" is its Greek-derived name in medieval English texts. It comes from Greek "psaltērion," meaning a stringed instrument played by plucking, and ultimately from "psallein," to pluck or twang. The Greek word appears in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, where it stands for the Hebrew "nevel," a harp-like instrument, which is why the name became tied to biblical music. English borrowed the word through Late Latin "psalterium" and Old French "psaltérion," and the spelling "salterion" reflects the medieval French and Latin forms, with the initial "p" dropped. The sense shifted in the later Middle Ages: "psaltery" came to name a flat, trapezoid-shaped box instrument with strings stretched over it, played by plucking with the fingers or a plectrum.

Synonyms: psaltery