Definition of "psaltery" [psal•ter•y]

• An ancient stringed instrument played by plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The sê, or psaltery, is made on the principle of the ch'in, and like that instrument has been made the subject of numerous allegorical comparisons."
• "In the Middle Ages there was an instrument called the psaltery, apparently some sort of a four-sided harp strung with metal strings."
• "There is no indication of 'psaltery' having accompanied the recitation of canonical gāthās."