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lyre

lyre

6 8.9
A small U-shaped musical instrument with strings used in ancient Greece to play music
  • noun
  • /ˈlaɪər/
translation icon : lira
  • Lily listened too and heard faraway strumming on a lyre and faint drumbeats.
  • lyre strings

The longer the lyre string, the lower the note.

Examples

  • Eliot's artist, while sleeping by his lyre, composes a song inspired by the Muses.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Music and writing coexist as King David strums the chords on his lyre.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The longer the lyre string, the lower the note.

  • Now all we have to do is find a lyre.

  • Bring me a small lyre.

  • Now, is the lyre in harmony with itself in the same way that the bow is?

  • Only the nightingale, with his lyre of gold, was permitted to sing for the princess.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • To be like Socrates, who, when sentenced to death, learned to play the lyre.

    Academic text (2011)
  • In the painting, one of the daughters of Hesperus holds a lyre.

    Academic text (2016)
  • In ancient Greece, the musicians played beautiful melodies on their lyre during festivals.

Synonyms

kithara
vslyre
  • Archaic
9.9

An ancient Greek instrument with strings played by professional musicians

is mainly used for accompaniment with a U-shaped frame
cithara
vslyre
  • Archaic
9.9

An ancient Greek string instrument like a small harp that trained musicians play

is mainly for accompaniment and has a U-shaped frame
trigon
vslyre
  • Archaic
9.9

An ancient triangular string instrument used in Greece and Rome

has a U-shaped frame and is mainly for accompaniment
aeolian lyre
vslyre
9.9

A string instrument like a small harp that the wind plays to make music

is played deliberately and has a U-shaped frame for accompaniment

Compounds

A string instrument like a small harp that the wind plays to make music

9.9

A mildly venomous snake with a V-shaped mark on its head that lives in rocky areas

A garden plant with deep pink, drooping heart-shaped flowers

Sonoran lyre snake
  • Specialized
9.9

A snake that lives in deserts of southwestern North America with a lyre-shaped mark on its head

How Complex

harpsichord
7 8.4
hurdy-gurdy
1 9.9
guitar
1.0
violin
159 1.8
lyre
6 8.9

Surface Forms

lyre singular
lyres plural

Etymology

The word lyre comes from the ancient Greek word lyra, a small harp poets used to accompany singing. A helpful way to remember it is that lyre is the same root as lyric, which means 'words meant to be sung', so a lyre is the instrument for songs and poems.