κιθάρα

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κῐθᾰ́ρη (kĭthắrē) — Ionic

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ki.tʰá.raː/ → /ciˈθa.ra/ → /ciˈθa.ra/

• (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 • (kĭthắrā) f (genitive κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς); first declension

1. (music) lyre

   Synonyms: λύρα (lúra), φόρμιγξ (phórminx), ψάλτιγξ (psáltinx)

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

   Synonym: κίθαρος (kítharos)

3. ivy

Declension

First declension of ἡ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ; τῆς κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ἡ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ hē kĭthắrā	τὼ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ tṑ kĭthắrā	αἱ κῐθᾰ́ραι hai kĭthắrai
Genitive	τῆς κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς tês kĭthắrās	τοῖν κῐθᾰ́ραιν toîn kĭthắrain	τῶν κῐθᾰρῶν tôn kĭthărôn
Dative	τῇ κῐθᾰ́ρᾳ têi kĭthắrāi	τοῖν κῐθᾰ́ραιν toîn kĭthắrain	ταῖς κῐθᾰ́ραις taîs kĭthắrais
Accusative	τὴν κῐθᾰ́ρᾱν tḕn kĭthắrān	τὼ κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ tṑ kĭthắrā	τᾱ̀ς κῐθᾰ́ρᾱς tā̀s kĭthắrās
Vocative	κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ kĭthắrā	κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ kĭthắrā	κῐθᾰ́ραι kĭthắrai
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• → Latin: cithara (see there for further descendants)
• → Aramaic: קיתרא (qīṯārā), ܩܝܬܪܐ (qīṯārā)
  • → Arabic: قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra) (see there for further descendants)
• → Old Armenian: կիթառ (kitʻaṙ), կեթառ (ketʻaṙ)
  • → Armenian: կիթառ (kitʻaṙ) (learned)
• → Bulgarian: китара (kitára)

Further reading

• “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^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • harp idem, page 386.
  • lyre idem, page 506.
• Martirosyan, Hrach (2019) “Armenian musical instruments: three etymologies”, in Tatevik Shakhkulyan, editor, Komitas Museum-Institute Yearbook, vol. IV‎^[2], 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)

1. guitar

Declension

Declension of κιθάρα

	singular	plural
nominative	κιθάρα (kithára)	κιθάρες (kitháres)
genitive	κιθάρας (kitháras)	κιθαρών (kitharón)
accusative	κιθάρα (kithára)	κιθάρες (kitháres)
vocative	κιθάρα (kithára)	κιθάρες (kitháres)

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”)

Further reading

• κιθάρα on the Greek Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^el