different between psalters vs psaltery

English

Noun

psalters

1. plural of psalter

Anagrams

• palsters, partless, persalts, plasters, plastres, staplers, trapless

English

Alternative forms

• psaltry

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French psalterie, from Latin psalt?rium, from Ancient Greek ????????? (psalt?rion, “stringed instrument, psaltery, harp”), from ????? (psáll?, “to touch sharply, to pluck, to pull, to twitch”) and in the case of the strings of musical instruments, “to play a stringed instrument with the fingers, and not with the plectron”.

Noun

psaltery (plural psalteries)

1. (music) A zither-like musical instrument consisting of a soundboard with multiple strings, played by plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum.

   And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. (Nehemiah 12:27, KJV)

Usage notes

In the King James Version of the Bible, "psaltery" is used as a translation for certain words whose referent isn't known: the Hebrew ??????? (kli) and ?????? (nével), and the Aramaic ??????????????? (psanterín).

Derived terms

• bowed psaltery
• psalterist, psalteryist

Related terms

• psalter
• psalm

Translations

See also

• Appendix:Glossary of chordophones

Anagrams

• Spratley, Tarpleys, plastery, pterylas