Dulcimer

The word dulcimer usually refers to either of the two instruments with low phenotypic similarity:

Hammered dulcimer

Players of the hammered dulcimer, much like a piano, use hammers to strike the strings. Bartolomeo Cristofori was actually inspired by the hammered dulcimer to make the first piano.

Appalachian dulcimer

Despite being a zither, much like the hammered dulcimer, the Appalachian dulcimer or mountain dulcimer is strummed on the player's lap.