sitar

American

[si-tahr] / sɪˈtɑr /

noun

a lute of India with a small, pear-shaped body and a long, broad, fretted neck.

sitar British

/ ˈsɪtɑː, sɪˈtɑː /

noun

a stringed musical instrument, esp of India, having a long neck, a rounded body, and movable frets. The main strings, three to seven in number, overlie other sympathetic strings, the tuning depending on the raga being performed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

sitarist noun

Etymology

Origin of sitar

First recorded in 1835–45, sitar is from the Hindi word sitār

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Beatle most associated with sitars and yoga poses was the last one anyone would expect to become a business prophet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stories involving a sitar, a surfboard, several root beer floats and a bride-to-be.

From Los Angeles Times

At the age of 13, she dazzles audiences across India with her piano and sitar performances.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether it’s a semi-ironic obsession with artisanal cheese-making, a random passion for sitar music or a stubborn preference for a flip phone, there are many wonderful contradictions about humans that algorithms can’t quite pin down.

From Salon

“Good morning, sunshine!” chirps her mother in lo-fi, as a sitar shrugs along, giving the soul ballad a psychedelic touch.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023