a lute of India with a small, pear-shaped body and a long, broad, fretted neck.
Origin
1835-45; < Hindisitār
Related forms
sitarist, noun
British Dictionary definitions for sitar
sitar
/sɪˈtɑː; ˈsɪtɑː/
noun
1.
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
Derived Forms
sitarist, noun
Word Origin
from Hindi sitār, literally: three-stringed
Word Origin and History for sitar
n.
1845, from Hindi sitar, from Persian sitar "three-stringed," from si "three" (Old Persian thri-; see three) + tar "string" (see tenet).