Anyone have an old dictionary or know about old musical instruments?

[Cell]

Hi,

Can anyone help me ? I'm trying to find out what on earth is an eithern(musical instrument)
A zither according to  my   "Webster's new twentieth century" ( [printed 1950) dictionary is a modern form of the eithern - I know what a zither is of course , I'm  just fascinated what on earth is  an Eithern??  It's the first time I've come across a musical instrument called an eithern - do you think "eithern" is a misprint in my dictionary? if so what should the word say? What can be the earlier instrument's name than could be  misprinted to eithern?

 The word Eithern is not in the same  double brick of a dictionary under the e's, and not in any of my other dictionary's that I have either .I can not find it by googling either. Could any of you be so kind who owns an old dictionary (or dictionaries) to look up  the word " eithern", to see if it's in any dictionary, or  does anyone know of this  instrument?

Thank you for any help
Kind Regards

[aghadowey]

How about zithern instead?
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/zithern

[stanmapstone]

From the Oxford English Dictionary
cithern: cittern; An instrument of the guitar kind, but strung with wire, and played with a plectrum or quill; much used in 16–17th c. The Tyrolese form of the instrument, which has also come into fashion in England of late years, is commonly distinguished as the zither

Stan

[Cell]

Hi,
I  have that meaning  too. I think aghadowey has hit the nail on the head. I didn't think of that !( It is  known as a zithern too )- good thinking

It's looking  very much like a misprint by Webster's to me now ( damn dictionary -  it sent me on a wild goosechase for hours! I thought I'd uncovered some sort of weird instrument called an Eithern )- the E should be a Z , or a C -  I suspect it's more than likely the C, cithern .

Thank you 

[stanmapstone]

From the OED Zither; Forms:  Also  zithern, zitt(h)er, zittern.

Stan

[Cell]

Hi,

just lugged out the same dictionary again ( at least it's good for building up the biceps if nothing else )   under cithern ( the  second meaning) - A modern modification of the instrument; also called cither, zither. 

The first meaning is a stringed musical instrument among the ancients, the precise form of which is not known but it bore some resemblance to the modern guitar

 Under cithern the next entry is  cithern head (hed) - a so called stupid person , so called because there was usually a carved head on the handle of a cithern  - charming  )

Kind Regards

[msr]

Hi

Just checked in my husband's 'companion to music',  full of obscure info but no eithern.

Su

[maidmarianoops]

i thought you may like this site

sylvia
http://www.trocadero.com/cgi-bin/search1.cgi

[aghadowey]

i thought you may like this site

sylvia
http://www.trocadero.com/cgi-bin/search1.cgi

Why? there's no listing for zithern, eithern....