gittern
Noun: A medieval and early Renaissance stringed musical instrument, typically with a rounded, pear-shaped body, a flat back, and wire strings. It is a forerunner of the modern guitar and was played by plucking the strings.
The word "gittern" refers specifically to the historical instrument. It is used in discussions of music history, medieval culture, and the evolution of stringed instruments. * The minstrel played a lively tune on his gittern. * Archaeologists found fragments of what they believe to be a gittern. * The gittern was a popular instrument in European courts during the 14th and 15th centuries.
- Historical Context: The term is primarily used in academic or descriptive historical contexts rather than in everyday modern conversation about music.
- Organology: In the study of musical instruments (organology), the gittern is distinguished from similar instruments like the lute by its construction (carved from a single block of wood) and stringing.
- Cittern: A later, Renaissance-era instrument descended from the gittern, with a flat back and metal strings, often considered a direct ancestor of the modern guitar. While related, "cittern" and "gittern" refer to distinct instruments from different periods.
- Guitar: The modern fretted string instrument, which evolved from earlier instruments like the gittern and vihuela.
- Medieval guitar: A descriptive synonym highlighting its relationship to the modern guitar.
- Guittern: An archaic variant spelling.
The word "gittern" has only one primary meaning, referring to the specific historical musical instrument. It does not have other common definitions in modern English.
There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs using the word "gittern."
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a 16th century musical instrument resembling a guitar with a pear-shaped soundbox and wire strings
