Lyre definition

līr
lyres
See word origin
Frequency:
A stringed musical instrument.
noun
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A stringed instrument of the harp family having two curved arms connected at the upper end by a crossbar, used to accompany a singer or reciter of poetry, especially in ancient Greece.
noun
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A small stringed instrument of the harp family, used by the ancient Greeks to accompany singers and reciters.
noun
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the Lyre
  • the constellation Lyra
idiom
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2
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
lyre
Plural:
lyres

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

the Lyre

Origin of lyre

  • Middle English lire from Old French from Latin lyra from Greek lura

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From French lyre, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lura, “lyre, a stringed instrument with a sounding-board formed of the shell of a tortoise").

    From Wiktionary

Lyre Sentence Examples

  • Anion's lyre and the dolphin were translated to the stars.

  • He touched his lyre and began to play the accompaniment.

  • In somewhat sensational and affected but prophetic words Gaj compared Illyria to a lyre, " a triangle between Skutari, Varna and Villach.

  • To the left, a standing female holding a lyre.

  • The most usual attributes of Apollo were the lyre and the bow; the tripod especially was dedicated to him as the god of prophecy.

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Words near lyre in the Dictionary