zithernoun
Factsheet
What does the noun zither mean?
There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun zither. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the noun zither?
| 1830 | 0.0023 |
| 1840 | 0.0045 |
| 1850 | 0.013 |
| 1860 | 0.029 |
| 1870 | 0.055 |
| 1880 | 0.086 |
| 1890 | 0.11 |
| 1900 | 0.13 |
| 1910 | 0.14 |
| 1920 | 0.15 |
| 1930 | 0.15 |
| 1940 | 0.16 |
| 1950 | 0.17 |
| 1960 | 0.18 |
| 1970 | 0.18 |
| 1980 | 0.17 |
| 1990 | 0.17 |
| 2000 | 0.16 |
| 2010 | 0.15 |
How is the noun zither pronounced?
British English
U.S. English
Where does the noun zither come from?
Earliest known use
1830s
The earliest known use of the noun zither is in the 1830s.
OED's earliest evidence for zither is from 1831, in London Literary Gazette.
zither is a borrowing from German.
Etymons: German Zither.
Nearby entries
- zircono-, comb. form
- zirconolite, n.1957–
- zircon-syenite, n.1813–
- zirconyl, n.1887–
- zirkelite, n.1895–
- zit, n.1912–
- zit cream, n.1968–
- zitella, n.a1660–
- zit-face, n.1974–
- zit-faced, adj.1971–
- zither, n.1831–
- zither, v.1889–
- zither banjo, n.1888–
- zithering, adj.1889–
- zitherist, n.1866–
- zither-like, adj.1881–
- ziti, n.1845–
- zitty, adj.1971–
- Ziv, n.a1382–
- zizania, n.1526–
- zizany, n.a1400–1803
Etymology
Summary
Notes
Meaning & use
- 1.1831–A musical instrument of central European origin, having four or five strings over a fretboard for sounding the melody and thirty to forty accompanying strings without frets, all running the length of a flat shallow resonator box, and played by striking or plucking the strings.
- 1831
With only the assistance of a zitter, or German guitar, he contrives to produce the effect of a whole band of music, and mingles together the bassoon, flute, trumpet, &c.
London Literary Gazette 14 May 317/2 - 1871
Nothing haunted me so much as those tones of her zither.
G. Meredith, Harry Richmond vol. II. ix. 98 - 1938
Below is the interior of the first American hostel at Northfield, Mass. Playing his zither is Julius Wahl, hostel housefather.
Life 6 June 62 (caption) - 1949
Mr Karas has written a tune. He is the composer and chief exponent on his zither of the ‘Harry Lime Theme’.
Press & Journal (Aberdeen) 21 November 2 - 2004
Lederhosen-clad buskers pick out waltzes on their zithers.
Wanderlust June 81
- zither1831–A musical instrument of central European origin, having four or five strings over a fretboard for sounding the melody and thirty to forty…
- qin1839–A Chinese seven-stringed zither, played by plucking.
- zeze1860–A stringed instrument of eastern and central Africa.
- valiha?1866–A type of zither, typically tubular and traditionally made from bamboo, regarded as the national instrument of Madagascar.
- cither1871–Any of various plucked stringed instruments similar in form to, or believed to have derived from, the cithara; (in later use) esp. a zither.
- se1874–A twenty-five-stringed plucked musical instrument, somewhat similar to the zither.
- autoharp1882–A type of zither fitted with a series of sprung and padded bars which dampen selected strings when activated, allowing chords to be played easily.
- zither banjo1888–A type of five-stringed banjo with a closed back and a headstock like that of a guitar, the fifth string running through a tube in the neck from…
- gusli1893–A Russian musical instrument resembling a zither.
- langeleik1907–An early Norwegian stringed instrument, resembling the zither.
- kantele1921–A form of zither used in Finland and Karelia.
- Scheitholt1961–A former stringed instrument of central Europe, a precursor of the zither.
- 2.1877–More generally: any of various other musical instruments consisting of a string or strings stretched across a soundboard of some type (and frequently also a resonator) without extending past the body of the instrument.
- 1877
A curious musical instrument now to be seen at a store on East Baltimore street is a Japanese koto, or zither, or harp.
Daily Evening Bulletin (San Francisco) 14 June - 1893
A bamboo ‘zither’, the strings of which are of reed fibers stretched over a wooden bridge.
R. Wallaschek, Primitive Music iii. 122 - 1921
An agglomeration of sound evoked from one-string fiddles, Chinese zithers, and..drums.
Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl.-Gaz. 26 June - 1964
Valiha, idiochord tube zither of the Malagasy Republic..made of bamboo with 7–20 strings.
S. Marcuse, Musical Instruments 560/1 - 2005
See Syria's premier zither player Abdullah Chhadeh.
Independent (Nexis) 1 August 10
society leisure the arts music musical instrument stringed instruments other stringed instruments [nouns] others- sambucac1384–Ancient Music. ‘A triangular stringed-instrument of a very sharp shrill tone’ (Lewis & Short).
- barbiton1545–A many-stringed musical instrument; a kind of lyre or lute.
- alpharion1599–= orpharion, n.
- barbit1624= barbiton, n. (In quot. 1624 attributive.)
- strumstrum1697–1728A rude stringed instrument (see quots.).
- magadis1721–Used to denote what was believed to have been a type of musical instrument known in ancient Greece (see quots.).
- polychord1737–A polychord instrument; any of various instruments having many strings.
- bumbassa1796–Any of various stringed instruments having a bass or droning tone; (now) spec. a type of folk instrument consisting of a monochord stretched on a…
- bell-harpa1815–(See quot.).
- pipa1839–A Chinese stringed instrument resembling a lute.
- bandura1846–A large Ukrainian stringed instrument resembling an asymmetrical lute with many strings, held vertically and plucked like a zither. Cf. pandoura, n.
- cavaquinho1863–Chiefly in Brazil: a four-stringed musical instrument similar to a ukulele.
- nanga1864–In central and eastern Africa: a small, simple zither or harp, consisting of (usually) seven or eight strings strung across a trough-shaped…
- bow1872–An Indian musical instrument.
- Helicon1875–a. An ancient acoustical instrument consisting of strings stretched over a resonance-box and capable of being adjusted to different lengths. b. A…
- zither1877–More generally: any of various other musical instruments consisting of a string or strings stretched across a soundboard of some type (and…
- ukeke1891–A Hawaiian stringed instrument consisting of a strip of wood with two or three strings that are played with the fingers and mouth.
- molo1912–Among the Hausa and Songhai people of West Africa: a type of stringed instrument (usually similar to a lute), with one, two, or three strings.
- pluriarc1923–A West African musical instrument made of a wooden resonator to which several curved rods holding taut strings are attached.
Pronunciation
British English
U.S. English
Consonants
- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence
Vowels
- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)
Other symbols
- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.
View the pronunciation model here.
Consonants
- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing
* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in
Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence
Vowels
- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)
Other symbols
- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.
View the pronunciation model here.
Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.
Consonants
b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values
- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige
Vowels
- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot
Forms
Variant forms
α.
- 1800szitther
- 1800s–zither, zitter
β.
- 1800s–zithern, zittern
Frequency
zither typically occurs about 0.2 times per million words in modern written English.
zither is in frequency band 4, which contains words occurring between 0.1 and 1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zither, n., 1830–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1830 | 0.0023 |
| 1840 | 0.0045 |
| 1850 | 0.013 |
| 1860 | 0.029 |
| 1870 | 0.055 |
| 1880 | 0.086 |
| 1890 | 0.11 |
| 1900 | 0.13 |
| 1910 | 0.14 |
| 1920 | 0.15 |
| 1930 | 0.15 |
| 1940 | 0.16 |
| 1950 | 0.17 |
| 1960 | 0.18 |
| 1970 | 0.18 |
| 1980 | 0.17 |
| 1990 | 0.17 |
| 2000 | 0.16 |
| 2010 | 0.15 |
Frequency of zither, n., 2017–2024
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.
| Period | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 0.022 |
| 2018 | 0.019 |
| 2019 | 0.017 |
| 2020 | 0.017 |
| 2021 | 0.017 |
| 2022 | 0.017 |
| 2023 | 0.019 |
| 2024 | 0.022 |
Compounds & derived words
- zitherist, n. 1866–A person who plays the zither.
- bow zither, n. 1869–A type of zither played with a bow.
- viola zither, n. 1875–A type of zither, played with a bow, having a…
- zither-like, adj. 1881–Resembling or reminiscent of a zither.
- zither banjo, n. 1888–A type of five-stringed banjo with a closed back…
- zither, v. 1889–intransitive. To make a sound like that of a…
- C.1.1850–General use as a modifier, and with verbal nouns and participles forming compounds in which zither expresses the object of the underlying verb, as in zither music, zither player, etc.
- 1850
The untutored singers and zither players.
J. von Tautphœus, Initials vol. I. iv. 101 - 1881
He was passionately fond of zither music.
W. Black, Sunrise vol. I. iii. 43 - 1886
He is playing..on a kind of zithern-harp.
J. Ruskin, Præterita vol. II. vi. 215 - 1949
We see the title and all the credits through a pattern of vibrating zither-strings.
Illustrated London News 17 September 428/1 - 1982
A fun-loving, zither-playing, somewhat bohemian character.
C. McIntosh, Swan King viii. 83 - 1992
A macabre replay of the Carol Reed-Graham Greene thriller [sc. The Third Man]..with its zither music, Ferris wheel and a mad doctor.
New York Times 12 February c15/4
- zither player1850–General use as a modifier, and with verbal nouns and participles forming compounds in which zither expresses the object of the underlying verb, as in…
- zitherist1866–A person who plays the zither.
- guslar1891–One who plays the gusle; a singer of traditional epic poems.
- C.2.
- zither banjo, n. 1888–A type of five-stringed banjo with a closed back…
-