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Kithara

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An ancient Greek stringed instrument often associated with lyric poetry and Apollo

Detailed Definition
Kithara refers to an ancient Greek stringed instrument associated with Apollo and lyric poetry, symbolizing harmony, order, and artistic inspiration; in poetic contexts, it evokes the ideal of measured, melodic verse—contrasting Dionysian frenzy—and appears metaphorically to denote the poet’s craft as a tuning of cosmic or emotional strings.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sappho’s poetry was accompanied by kithara; Pindar’s victory odes were performed with kithara in Greek festivals; references in Homer’s “Iliad” to bards playing kithara for heroes; modern reconstructions of Greek lyric assume kithara accompaniment for tonal modes.
Additional Notes
Kithara was an ancient Greek lyre used to accompany lyric poetry; symbolizes the fusion of music and verse in classical aesthetics—often referenced metaphorically in modern poetry about art.
Also Known As
Lyre stringed muse poetic instrument classical harp Ancient stringed instrument Greek harp
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