gittern
UK /ˈɡɪtən/ · US /ˈɡɪtəɹn/ noun, verb
Forms gitterns gitterning gitterned ghittern
- noun A small, quill-plucked, gut-strung musical instrument, most commonly with three to four strings in doubles courses; it is a flat-backed predecessor of the guitar, and it originated around the 13th century, coming to Europe via Moorish Spain.
- verb To play on the gittern.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English giterne, from Old French guiterne, ultimately from Latin cithara. Doublet of cittern.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An instrument like a guitar. "Harps, lutes, and giternes." Chaucer.
- verb To play on gittern. Milton.
Etymology [OE. giterne, OF. guiterne, ultimately from same source as E. guitar. See Guitar, and cf. Cittern.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gittern”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details