Dul"ci*mer (?), n. [It. dolcemele,r Sp. dulcemele, fr. L. dulcis sweet + melos song, melody, Gr. &?;; cf. OF. doulcemele. See Dulcet, and Melody.] (Mus.) (a) An instrument, having stretched metallic wires which are beaten with two light hammers held in the hands of the performer. (b) An ancient musical instrument in use among the Jews. Dan. iii. 5. It is supposed to be the same with the psaltery.

• (music) A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal. It's played on the lap or horizontally on a table. Some have their own legs. These musical instruments are played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the hammer dulcimers).
       The two classes of dulcimer are the "Mountain" or "Appalacian" dulcimer (plucked and played with a quill, usually a goose quill) and the hammer dulcimer (played by tapping on the strings with small "hammers"). See also: zither