sistrum
/ˈsɪstɹəm/
sistrum noun: an ancient Egyptian musical instrument, to be shaken, consisting of a metal frame holding percussive metal beads.
Noun
sistrum (plural sistrums or sistra)
- An ancient Egyptian musical instrument, to be shaken, consisting of a metal frame holding percussive metal beads.
- She moved with slow undulations of her body as lascivious as the curve of Hathfertiti’s hair, and the sistrum with its singing wires was played by a dwarf wearing nothing but a gold purse and a few bracelets on his stunted biceps.1983, Norman Mailer, Ancient Evenings
sistrum meaning in Arabic
sistrum in Arabic
- instrument
- سيستروم
Forms of sistrum
| plural | sistrums |
|---|---|
| plural | sistra |
| alternative form (obsolete) | systrum |
Origin of sistrum
Borrowed from Latin sīstrum, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek σεῖστρον (seîstron), from σείω (seíō, “shake”).
Words that rhyme with sistrum
Questions about sistrum
- What does sistrum mean?
- Sistrum means an ancient Egyptian musical instrument, to be shaken, consisting of a metal frame holding percussive metal beads.
- What is sistrum in Arabic?
- Sistrum in Arabic is سيستروم. See Sistrum meaning in Arabic.
- What part of speech is sistrum?
- Sistrum is a noun.
- How do you pronounce sistrum?
- Sistrum is pronounced /ˈsɪstɹəm/.
- What is the plural of sistrum?
- The plural of sistrum is sistrums.
Words near sistrum in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sistrum (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “sistrum.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sistrum. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.