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rotta
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Also spelled:
Rote
Related Topics:
lyre
crwth
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rotta

musical instrument
Also known as: rote, rotte
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
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History

rotta, medieval European stringed musical instrument. The name is frequently applied to the boxlike lyres with straight or waisted sides frequently pictured in medieval illustrations of musical instruments. Some surviving writings, however, indicate that contemporary writers may have applied the name to the harp. The rotta probably originated in Ireland as the cruit and spread to the European continent. The Irish name is related to crwth, the Welsh bowed lyre.