Etymology

guitar

gui·tar
G2U1I1T1A1R1

Today it means: A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). Full definition →

Spanish guitarra ← Old Spanish guitarra ← Arabic قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra)
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The story

  1. Ancient Greekκῐθᾰ́ρᾱ (kĭthắrā)
  2. Aramaicקיתרא (qīṯārā)
  3. Arabicقِيثَارَة (qīṯāra)
  4. Old Spanishguitarra
  5. Spanishguitarra
  6. English todayguitar

From Spanish guitarra, from Arabic قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra), from Ancient Greek κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ (kĭthắrā). Doublet of cithara, cither, and zither, but not related to sitar.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.