κιθάρα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

κῐθᾰ́ρη (kithárē) – Ionic

Etymology

According to Beekes, acquired from Pre-Greek. Probably ultimately derived from or at least related to Proto-Hurro-Urartian *kinnar (“lyre, harp”).

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ki.tʰá.raː/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /kiˈtʰa.ra/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ciˈθa.ra/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ciˈθa.ra/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ciˈθa.ra/

Noun

κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ • (kithárā) f (genitive κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς); first declension

lyre
1. lyre-playing
(in the plural) the ribs of the horse
ivy

Inflection

First declension of ἡ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ; τῆς κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ hē kithárā	τὼ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ tṑ kithárā	αἱ κῐθᾰ́ραι hai kithárai
Genitive	τῆς κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς tês kithárās	τοῖν κῐθᾰ́ραιν toîn kithárain	τῶν κῐθᾰρῶν tôn kitharôn
Dative	τῇ κῐθᾰ́ρᾳ têi kithárāi	τοῖν κῐθᾰ́ραιν toîn kithárain	ταῖς κῐθᾰ́ραις taîs kithárais
Accusative	τὴν κῐθᾰ́ρᾱν tḕn kithárān	τὼ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ tṑ kithárā	τᾱ̀ς κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς tā̀s kithárās
Vocative	κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ kithárā	κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ kithárā	κῐθᾰ́ραι kithárai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Synonyms

(lyre): λύρα (lúra), φόρμιγξ (phórminx), ψάλτιγξ (psáltinx)
(ribs): κίθαρος (kítharos)

Descendants

→ Latin: cithara (see there for further descendants)
→ Aramaic: קיתרא‎
- Classical Syriac: ܩܝܬܪܐ‎
→ Old Armenian: կիթառ (kitʿaṙ)

References

“κιθάρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“κιθάρα”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
κιθάρα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
G2788 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
- harp idem, page 386.
- lyre idem, page 506.
Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 694f
Martirosyan, Hrach (2019), “Armenian musical instruments: three etymologies”, in Tatevik Shakhkulyan, editor, Komitas Museum-Institute Yearbook, vol. IV‎, Yerevan: Komitas Museum-Institute, pages 187–189

Greek

Etymology

Semantic loan from Italian chitarra (from Arabic قِيثَارَة‎ (qīṯāra), from Latin cithara), adapted to the form of Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ciˈθa.ra/

Noun

κιθάρα • (kithára) f (plural κιθάρες)

guitar

Declension

declension of κιθάρα

case \ number	singular	plural
nominative	κιθάρα •	κιθάρες •
genitive	κιθάρας •	κιθαρών •
accusative	κιθάρα •	κιθάρες •
vocative	κιθάρα •	κιθάρες •

Derived terms

ακουστική κιθάρα f (akoustikí kithára, “acoustic guitar”)
άταστη κιθάρα f (átasti kithára, “fretless guitar”)
ηλεκτρική κιθάρα f (ilektrikí kithára, “electric guitar”)
κιθαρίστα m (kitharísta, “guitarist”)
κιθαρίστας m (kitharístas, “guitarist”) (Katharevousa)
κιθαριστής f (kitharistís, “guitarist”)
κιθαρίστρια f (kitharístria, “guitarist”)
κλασσική κιθάρα f (klassikí kithára, “classical guitar”)
λαϊκή κιθάρα f (laïkí kithára, “folk guitar”)
μπασοκίθαρο n (basokítharo, “bass guitar”)
ρωσική κιθάρα f (rosikí kithára, “Russian guitar”)

κιθάρα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Inflection

Synonyms

Descendants

References

Greek

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading