Word
guitar
Phoneticsgui·tar
US/ɡɪˈtɑɹ/
UK/ɡɪtˈɑː/
Definitions
01musical instrument
n. a musical instrument with six strings and a long neck, played by plucking the strings.
n. a chordophone with a fretted fingerboard and typically six strings, played by plucking or strumming with the fingers or a plectrum.
“He started learning the guitar when he was ten years old.”
“The lead guitarist spent hours tuning his instrument before the concert began to ensure the acoustic resonance was perfect for the venue.”
Pitfall
He plays guitar very well.
He plays the guitar very well.
In English, we usually use 'the' before the name of a musical instrument when talking about the ability to play it.
02to play the guitar
v. to play the guitar, especially in a casual way.
v. to perform on or play the guitar; used as an intransitive verb in informal contexts.
“We spent the whole evening singing and guitaring around the campfire.”
“After the formal set ended, the musicians stayed on stage just guitaring for their own amusement while the roadies packed up the gear.”
Informal
Usage
This verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
Synonyms
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ (kĭthắrā)bor. Aramaic קיתראbor. Arabic قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra)bor. Old Spanish guitarra Spanish guitarrabor. English guitar From Spanish guitarra, from Arabic قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra), from Ancient Greek κῐθᾰ́ρᾱ (kĭthắrā). Doublet of cithara, cither, and zither.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/guitar