Etymograph

English

cither

Cither comes from Latin cithara ‘cithara, cittern, zither, lyre, lute, guitar’, and goes back to Ancient Greek κιθάρα.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκιθάρα1kithára‘lyre’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcithara1‘cithara, cittern, zither, lyre, lute, guitar’
  3. Englishtodaycither1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English cither

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκιθάραWiktionary, English citherkithára‘lyre’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcitharaWiktionary, English cither‘cithara, cittern, zither, lyre, lute, guitar’
  3. EnglishtodaycitherWiktionary, English cither

Linked words

through Latin cithara ‘cithara, cittern, zither, lyre, lute, guitar’

zither, 4 more

Today it means

noun —

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cither”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek κιθάρα / cither

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