Meanings
nounkantele (plural kanteles)
plural kanteles
- entertainmentA plucked string instrument (a zither) of the Baltic psaltery family, traditionally with five strings but now more widely varying, originating in the folk music of Finland, where it is seen as a national symbol.
With his fingers Väinämöinen played / with its strings the kantele rang out […].
1989, Elias Lönnrot, translated by Keith Bosley, The Kalevala, section XLIV
Origin
- Finnishkantele
- Englishkantele
From Finnish kantele. Ultimate etymology contested; see Proto-Finnic *kandël for theories.
More words from Finnish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Esperanto kantelo
- kantelotraditional Finnish string instrument
Finnish kantele, kannel
- kanteletraditional Finnish string instrument
- kanneltraditional Finnish string instrument
German Kantele
- Kanteletraditional Finnish string instrument
Hungarian kantele
- kanteletraditional Finnish string instrument
Portuguese kantele
- kanteletraditional Finnish string instrument
Cite this entry
APA
kantele. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kantele
MLA
“kantele.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kantele. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kantele,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kantele.
Source: kantele on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.