Latin

Verb

citharīzō ‎(present infinitive citharīzāre, perfect active citharīzāvī, supine citharīzātum); first conjugation

1. I play the cithara
   • 100 BCE – 24 BCE, Cornelius Nepos, Liber de excellentibus ducibus exterarum gentium Epaminodas 2.1

     Nam et citharizare et cantare ad chordarum sonum doctus est a Dionysio, qui non minore fuit in musicis gloria quam Damon aut Lamprus, quorum pervulgata sunt nomina, cantare tibiis ab Olympiodoro, saltare a Calliphrone.

     For at the lyre and at singing in harmony with its strings he was taught by Dionysius, who is held in no less glory amongst musicians than Damon or Lamprus, whose names are ubiquitous; to sing to the flutes, by Olympiodorus; and to dance by Calliphron.

Usage notes

• citharīzō is the sole Classical Latin borrowing of a Greek verb in -ίζω; all other borrowings in this form took place in the Late Latin period, largely by Early Christian writers, originally in religious contexts.

Inflection

Related terms

• cithara
• citharista

Descendants

• Italian: cetereggiare, citarizzare
• Romanian: cetereza

References

• citharizo in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• citharizo in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “citharizo”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• citharizo in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, pre-publication website, 2005-2016