English Explanatory Dictionary

harp

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A musical instrument consisting of a body and a curved neck, strung with strings of varying length that are stroked or plucked with the fingers and are vertical to the soundboard when viewed from the end of the body
  2. Any instrument of the same musicological type.
  3. Any musical instrument.
  4. A harmonica.
  5. A struck tuned percussion instrument of metal or wooden bars, especially as a function of a theatre organ.
  6. A grain sieve.
  7. The component of a lamp to which one attaches the lampshade, consisting of a lightweight frame that usually surrounds the bulb with an attachment at the top for the finial.
  8. Ellipsis of harp seal.
verb
  1. To repeatedly mention a subject, especially so as to nag or complain.
  2. To play on (a harp or similar instrument).
  3. To play (a tune) on the harp.
  4. To develop or give expression to by skill and art; to sound forth as from a harp; to hit upon.
name
  1. A surname originating as an occupation for a player of the harp.

Pronunciation

/hɑːp/ /hɑɹp/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-harp.wav

Word forms

harp harps harping harped

Etymology

From Middle English harpe, from Old English hearpe (“harp”), from Proto-West Germanic *harpā, from Proto-Germanic *harpǭ (“harp”). Cognate with Scots hairp (“harp”), West Frisian harpe, harp (“harp”), Low German Harp (“harp”), Dutch harp (“harp”), German Harfe (“harp”), Danish harpe (“harp”), Swedish harpa (“harp”).

Synonyms

glee-beam keep on about perseverate

Related words

harp seal lyre Harper

Derived words

æolian harp Aeolian harp arched harp Celtic harp Harp harp closure Harper harp-guitar harp guitarist harp-guitarist harp holder Harp Island harpist harpless harplike harpmaker harp on harp on one string harp on the same string harp-player harp shackle harp shell harp snail harpstring harp trap jaws-harp Jaws'-harp jaws harp jaws' harp Jaw's harp Jewes-harp jewes harp jew harp Jews'-harp Jews harp Jew's-harp jew's harp Jews' harp jews-harp Kafir harp lamp harp laser harp Welsh harp

Translations

Albanian: harpë Albanian: jongan Amharic: በገና Arabic: قِيثَارَة Arabic: هارب Armenian: տավիղ Asturian: arpa Belarusian: а́рфа Breton: telenn Bulgarian: а́рфа Burmese: စောင်း Catalan: arpa Chinese Cantonese: 豎琴 /竖琴 Hakka Chinese: 豎琴 /竖琴 Chinese: 徛琴 Chinese Mandarin: 豎琴 /竖琴 Cornish: telyn Czech: harfa Danish: harpe Dutch: harp Esperanto: harpo Estonian: harf Faroese: harpa Faroese: hørpa Finnish: harppu French: harpe Friulian: arpe Galician: arpa Georgian: არფა German: Harfe Greek: άρπα Hebrew: נֵבֶל Hiligaynon: árpa Hindi: वीणा Hungarian: hárfa Icelandic: harpa Indonesian: harpa Irish: cláirseach Irish: cruit Italian: arpa Japanese: ハープ Kalmyk: ятх Khmer: ពិណ Korean: 하프
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