Definition of LYRE

lyre

Plural: lyres

Noun

  • An ancient stringed instrument, similar to a small harp.
  • a harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment
  • An ancient stringed musical instrument (a yoke lute chordophone) of Greek origin, consisting of two arms extending from a body to a crossbar (a yoke), and strings, parallel to the soundboard, connecting the body to the yoke.
  • An ancient stringed musical instrument (a yoke lute chordophone) of Greek origin, consisting of two arms extending from a body to a crossbar (a yoke), and strings, parallel to the soundboard, connecting the body to the yoke.
  • Any instrument of the same musicological classification; any yoke lute.
  • A lyre-shaped sheet music holder that attaches to a wind instrument when a music stand is impractical.
  • A composer of lyric poetry.

Verb

  • to play the lyre

Examples

  • He played "LYRE" and imagined a harmonious symphony of points in Scrabble.

Origin / Etymology

From Ancient Greek λύρᾱ (lúrā, “lyre, a stringed instrument with a sounding-board formed of the shell of a tortoise”). Doublet of lira, Lyra, and lyra.

Synonyms

yoke lute

Scrabble Score: 7

lyre: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
lyre: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
lyre: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

lyre: valid Words With Friends Word