Lyre

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

Lyre, n. [OE. lire, OF. lyre, L. lyra, Gr. . Cf. Lyra.].

•  A stringed instrument of music; a kind of harp much used by the ancients, as an accompaniment to poetry.  [1913 Webster]

  " The lyre was the peculiar instrument of Apollo, the tutelary god of music and poetry. It gave name to the species of verse called lyric, to which it originally furnished an accompaniment."  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the constellations; Lyra. See Lyra.  [1913 Webster]

Lyre bat (Zoöl.), a small bat (Megaderma lyra), inhabiting India and Ceylon. It is remarkable for the enormous size and curious shape of the nose membrane and ears. -- Lyre turtle (Zoöl.), the leatherback.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Lyre, n. Gk Antiq. an ancient stringed instrument like a small U-shaped harp, played usu. with a plectrum and accompanying the voice.

Idiom

lyre-bird any Australian bird of the family Menuridae, the male of which has a lyre-shaped tail display. lyre-flower a bleeding heart.

Etymology

ME f. OF lire f. L lyra f. Gk lura

DEVIL DICTIONARY

Lyre

n. An ancient instrument of torture. The word is now used in a figurative sense to denote the poetic faculty, as in the following fiery lines of our great poet, Ella Wheeler Wilcox:

I sit astride Parnassus with my lyre,
And pick with care the disobedient wire.
That stupid shepherd lolling on his crook
With deaf attention scarcely deigns to look.
I bide my time, and it shall come at length,
When, with a Titan's energy and strength,
I'll grab a fistful of the strings, and O,
The word shall suffer when I let them go!
Farquharson Harris

ROGET THESAURUS

Lyre

Musical Instruments

N musical instruments, band, string-band, brass-band, orchestra, orchestrina, monochord, polychord, harp, lyre, lute, archlute, mandola, mandolin, mandoline, guitar, zither, cither, cithern, gittern, rebeck, bandurria, bandura, banjo, bina, vina, xanorphica, viol, violin, fiddle, kit, viola, viola d'amore, viola di gamba, tenor, cremona, violoncello, bass, bass viol, base viol, theorbo, double base, contrabasso, violone, psaltery, bow, fiddlestick, piano, pianoforte, harpsichord, clavichord, clarichord, manichord, clavier, spinet, virginals, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, vielle, pianino, Eolian harp, organ, harmonium, harmoniphon, American organ, barrel organ, hand organ, accordion, seraphina, concertina, humming top, flute, fife, piccolo, flageolet, clarinet, claronet, basset horn, corno di bassetto, oboe, hautboy, cor Anglais, corno Inglese, bassoon, double bassoon, contrafagotto, serpent, bass clarinet, bagpipes, union pipes, musette, ocarina, Pandean pipes, reed instrument, sirene, pipe, pitch-pipe, sourdet, whistle, catcall, doodlesack, harmoniphone, horn, bugle, cornet, cornet-a-pistons, cornopean, clarion, trumpet, trombone, ophicleide, French horn, saxophone, sax, buglehorn, saxhorn, flugelhorn, althorn, helicanhorn, posthorn, sackbut, euphonium, bombardon tuba, cymbal, bell, gong, tambour, tambourine, tamborine, drum, tom-tom, tabor, tabret, tabourine, taborin, side drum, kettle drum, timpani, tympani, tymbal, timbrel, castanet, bones, musical glasses, musical stones, harmonica, sounding-board, rattle, tam-tam, zambomba, reed, tuning fork, triangle, Jew's harp, musical box, harmonicon, xylophone, sordine, sordet, sourdine, sourdet, mute, (iv) PERCEPTION OF SOUND.