Lyres
lyre (?), n. (OE. lire, OF.lyre, L. lyra, Gr. ?. Cf. Lyra.)
1. (Mus.) A stringed instrument of music;
a kind of harp much used by the ancients, as an accompaniment to
poetry.
f The lyre was the peculiar instrument of Apollo, the
tutelary god of music and poetry. It gave name to the species of
verse called lyric, to which it originally furnished an
accompaniment.
2. (Astron.) One of the
constellations; Lyra. See Lyra.
Lyre bat (Zool.), a small bat
(Megaderma lyra), inhabiting India and Ceylon. It is
remarkable for the enormous size and curious shape of the nose
membrane and ears. -- Lyre turtle
(Zool.), the leatherback.
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