# lyra

Pronunciation: say "LY-ruh" /ˈlaɪɹə/

## Noun

1. A hoop suspended vertically from above, used by performers for acrobatic and aerial dance routines.
   - Simple: A metal hoop that hangs in the air, used by performers to do tricks and spins.
   - _The acrobat spun gracefully inside the lyra high above the crowd._
   - _Two performers shared a single lyra during the finale._
2. A bowed string instrument used in the folk music of Crete, Greece.
   - Simple: A small string instrument played with a bow in the folk music of Crete, Greece.
   - _The lyra's three strings give Cretan dance music its distinctive sound._
   - _At the festival, a single lyra accompanied the singers through the night._
3. A bowed string instrument played in the Byzantine Empire.
   - Simple: A string instrument played with a bow during the time of the Byzantine Empire.
   - _Travelers from Constantinople carried the lyra to the courts of neighboring lands._
   - _The lyra's bowed strings filled the cathedral during imperial ceremonies._

## Noun

4. The central region of the fornix's ventral, or lower, surface in the brain. *(dated)*
   - Simple: The middle part of the underside of the fornix, a curved bundle of fibers deep in the brain.
   - _The anatomist labeled the lyra on the underside of the fornix._
   - _On the model, the lyra sat where the fornix curves beneath the brain._

## Origin

**Meaning 4** — The name comes from the arrangement of the lines with which it is marked in the human brain.
**Meanings 2–3** — From Ancient Greek λῠ́ρᾱ (lŭ́rā) or Modern Greek λύρα (lýra); it is a doublet of lira, Lyra, and lyre.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lyra (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).