A person who plays the cithara, the ancient Greek stringed instrument; a skilled musician of the cithara.
From cithara plus the agent suffix '-ist', which creates nouns meaning 'one who practices or specializes in' (like pianist, guitarist, or violinist). The term dates back to ancient Greek and Latin times.
In ancient Greece, famous citharists were celebrities—Terpander, Stesichorus, and others were as celebrated as rock stars today, and their musical innovations literally shaped Greek culture and poetry, yet most people today have never heard their names, which is a humbling reminder of how fame can vanish.
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