Santour

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A stringed musical instrument featuring a flat body and numerous strings, played by striking or plucking, commonly recognized in Middle Eastern and Central Asian music traditions
2. This traditional instrument, typically having a trapezoidal shape, consists of many taut strings and is often used in folk music across various cultures
3. A stringed instrument known for its trapezoidal shape, with a multitude of strings that are typically struck or plucked, is used in various cultural musical traditions

Etymology: The santour is a hammered dulcimer, a trapezoidal box of strings struck with two small mallets, and its name arrived in English from Persian. In Classical Persian, the word "santūr" names this instrument, but its ultimate origin is unclear. One suggestion links it to the ancient Greek "psaltērion," the word for the psaltery, a plucked stringed instrument. That connection is plausible on sound and instrument type, yet the path from Greek to Persian has not been firmly documented, so it remains a hypothesis rather than established fact. The spelling "santour" is a variant of "santur," and both forms follow the Persian pronunciation more closely than the Greek source would suggest. Because the word moved through the Persian and Arabic-speaking worlds, instruments of this family spread across West and Central Asia, where they were adapted in many local forms.