Psaltery

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Psaltery \Psal"ter*y\, n.; pl. {Psalteries}. [OE. sautrie, OF.
     psalterie, F. psalt['e]rion, L. psalterium psaltery, psalter,
     from Gr. ?, fr. ?. See {Psalm}, {Psalter}.]
     A stringed instrument of music used by the Hebrews, the form
     of which is not known.
     [1913 Webster]


  
           Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the
           psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. --Ps.
                                                    xxxiii. 2.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  psaltery
       n : an ancient stringed instrument similar to the lyre or zither
           but having a trapezoidal sounding board under the strings

From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:

  Psaltery
     a musical instrument, supposed to have been a kind of lyre, or a
     harp with twelve strings. The Hebrew word nebhel, so rendered,
     is translated "viol" in Isa. 5:12 (R.V., "lute"); 14:11. In Dan.
     3:5, 7, 10, 15, the word thus rendered is Chaldaic, pesanterin,
     which is supposed to be a word of Greek origin denoting an
     instrument of the harp kind.