sistrum

English

A Roman sistrum

Alternative forms

• systrum (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sīstrum, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek σεῖστρον (seîstron), from σείω (seíō, “shake”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪstɹəm/
• Rhymes: -ɪstɹəm

Noun

sistrum (plural sistrums or sistra)

1. An ancient Egyptian musical instrument, to be shaken, consisting of a metal frame holding percussive metal beads.
   • 1983, Norman Mailer, Ancient Evenings:

     She moved with slow undulations of her body as lascivious as the curve of Hathfertiti’s hair, and the sistrum with its singing wires was played by a dwarf wearing nothing but a gold purse and a few bracelets on his stunted biceps.

Translations

instrument

• Arabic: سيستروم f
• Catalan: sistre (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 叉鈴／叉铃 (chālíng), 西斯鈴／西斯铃 (xīsīlíng)

• Czech: sistrum n
• Dutch: sistrum (nl) n
• Egyptian: (zššt f), (sḫm m)
• French: sistre (fr) m
• German: Sistrum
• Greek:

  Ancient: σεῖστρον n (seîstron)

• Italian: sistro m
• Latin: sistrum n
• Polish: sistrum (pl) n
• Russian: систр (ru) m (sistr)
• Spanish: sistro m

Anagrams

• trismus, truisms

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɪstrum]

Noun

sistrum n

1. sistrum

Declension

Declension of sistrum (hard neuter reducible foreign)

	singular	plural
nominative	sistrum	sistra
genitive	sistra	sister
dative	sistru	sistrům
accusative	sistrum	sistra
vocative	sistrum	sistra
locative	sistru	sistrech
instrumental	sistrem	sistry

Further reading

• “sistrum”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957

Latin

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek σεῖστρον (seîstron), from σείω (seíō, “shake”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈsiːs.trum/, [ˈs̠iːs̠t̪rʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈsis.trum/, [ˈsist̪rum]

Noun

sīstrum n (genitive sīstrī); second declension

1. sistrum

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sīstrum	sīstra
Genitive	sīstrī	sīstrōrum
Dative	sīstrō	sīstrīs
Accusative	sīstrum	sīstra
Ablative	sīstrō	sīstrīs
Vocative	sīstrum	sīstra

Descendants

• → Catalan: sistre
• → Dutch: sistrum
• → English: sistrum
• → French: sistre
• → Galician: sistro
• → Italian: sistro
• → Portuguese: sistro
• → Spanish: sistro

Further reading

• “sistrum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “sistrum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• sistrum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “sistrum”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “sistrum”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin