lyras

Noun (1)

lyra

1. (dated) The middle portion of the ventral surface of the fornix of the brain.
   • The vessels of the brain generally are often distended and gorged with blood, the lyra especially being fully injected.1840, Alexander Tweedie, William Wood Gerhard, A system of practical medicine: Volume 1, page 295

Noun (2)

lyra (plural lyras)

1. A vertically suspended hoop used in acrobatic performances.

Noun (3)

lyra (plural lyras)

1. A bowed string musical instrument used in the Byzantine Empire.
   • A Persian scholar of the early tenth century, lbn Khurradadhbih, reported the lyra to be in widespread use throughout the empire, along with organs and bagpipes.2013, Howard Goodall, “The Age of Penitence, 1450–1650”, in The Story of Music, Chatto & Windus, page 55
2. A bowed instrument used in folk music in Crete, Greece.
   • According to the Greek musicologist Fivos Anoyanakis, the piriform lyras of Crete have, at various times throughout history, been produced in different sizes and styles.1980, Margaret Anne Downie, “The Modern Greek Lyra”, in Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, page 153

See all 6 meanings of lyra