Where does “citternist” come from?
citternist (English) comes from English cittern, from English gittern, from Middle English giterne, from Old French guiterne, from Old Spanish guitarra, from Arabic قِيثَارَة, from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα — lyre; the ribs of the horse; ivy.
citternist (English): Someone who plays the cittern
Definitions
- Someone who plays the cittern
Ancestry of “citternist”, step by step
citternist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cittern
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cittern | A stringed instrument (chordophone), played with a plectrum (a pick), and most commonly possessing four wire strings and chromatic frets, which is a precursor to the modern day guitar |
| 2 | English | gittern | A small, quill-plucked, gut-strung musical... |
| 3 | Middle English | giterne | gittern medieval musical instrument |
| 4 | Old French | guiterne | — |
| 5 | Old Spanish | guitarra | classical guitar |
| 6 | Arabic | قِيثَارَة | — |
| 7 | Latin | cithara | cithara, lyre, lute, guitar; guitar |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | κιθάρα | lyre; the ribs of the horse; ivy |
via English ist
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ist | A practitioner or supporter of an ism |
| 2 | English | -ist | Added to words to form nouns denoting |
| 3 | Old French | -iste | — |
| 4 | Latin | -ista | -ist; one who practises or believes |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ιστής | Alternative form of -τής; -ist |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tās | — |