Where does “Zitherspiel” come from?

Zitherspiel (German) comes from German Zither, from Old High German zithara, from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα — lyre; the ribs of the horse; ivy.

Zitherspiel (German): zither playing

Definitions

  1. zither playing

Ancestry of “Zitherspiel”, step by step

Zitherspiel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Zither

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanZitherzither
2Old High Germanzithara—
3Latincitharacithara, lyre, lute, guitar; guitar
4Ancient Greekκιθάραlyre; the ribs of the horse; ivy

via German spiel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanspiela game instance or way of playing
2Middle High Germanspil—
3Old High Germanspil—
4Proto-West Germanicspildance; game, exercise
Every word from Ancient Greek κιθάρα →Every word from Latin cithara →Every word from Old High German zithara →