sitar
UK[ˈsɪtɑː]US[sɪˈtɑːr]
n
a stringed musical instrument of india, with a long neck and a rounded body, played with a wire pick.
Etymology
the word 'sitar' entered the english language in the 19th century, borrowed directly from the hindi and urdu word 'sitār'. this term itself derives from the persian 'setār', which is a compound meaning 'three strings' (from 'se' meaning 'three' and 'tār' meaning 'string'). however, in its journey into english, the word is not parsed into these constituent parts but is treated as a simplex noun denoting the specific instrument. the instrument it describes, while historically related to three-stringed ancestors, evolved to have many more strings, yet the original name persisted, showcasing how a literal descriptive term in one language can become a fixed, culturally specific label in another.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from hindi/urdu, adopted into english as a single, unanalyzable unit in terms of english morphemes.
Examples
the sound of the sitar is central to traditional indian classical music.
he learned to play the sitar during his travels in north india.
the musician carefully tuned the sympathetic strings of her sitar before the performance.