zither

Everyday

A zither is a musical instrument with many strings stretched over a flat wooden box; you lay it on a table or your lap and pluck the strings with your fingers or a pick. tree →

In the lessons

In music lessons on string instruments around the world, the zither is found in Austria and Germany (folk music); related zithers include the Chinese guzheng, the Japanese koto and the Finnish kantele. It belongs to the string family because sound comes from vibrating strings. Phrases: «play the zither», «zither music».

Examples

• The man in the Austrian café played the zither. tree →
• A zither has dozens of strings over a flat box. tree →
• The Chinese guzheng is a kind of zither. tree →
• You pluck the zither strings with your fingers. tree →
• The film «The Third Man» has famous zither music. tree →
• We heard a zither at the folk festival. tree →

Note

Countable. Say «ZITH-er» with the «th» as in «this». Science: shorter, tighter or thinner strings give higher notes. It is not a guitar: it has no neck.