An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Leier
Leier, feminine, ‘lyre,’ from the equivalent Middle High German lîre, Old High German lîra, feminine; from Latin and Greek lyra, with the Byzantine pronunciation of the y current in the Middle Ages, but with an abnormal change of quantity (as in Kreuz, Schule, and Lilie). The lyre of the Middle Ages, except when imported, was essentially different from the antique lyre; it was an instrument of the same sort as a guitar, and was played by a wheel turned by a winch; hence it was something very like a barrel-organ (hurdy-gurdy). Through the influence of classical studies, the term Leier is now applied again to the antique instrument without entirely supplanting the earlier meaning (compare Leierkasten). Compare also Italian lira, French lyre, English lyre, and Dutch lier.