lyre

/ˈlaɪ.ə/

LAꞮ · ə (2 syllables)

English Noun Top 32,713
Ad

Definition

An ancient stringed musical instrument (a yoke lute chordophone) of Greek origin, consisting of two arms extending from a body to a crossbar (a yoke), and strings, parallel to the soundboard, connecting the body to the yoke.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek λύρᾱ (lúrā, “lyre, a stringed instrument with a sounding-board formed of the shell of a tortoise”). Doublet of lira, Lyra, and lyra.

Ad

Related Words