harp
English · Thesaurus
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harp¹
- /hɑːp/ UK
- /hɑɹp/ US
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)p
Where it comes from
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”).
noun harps
- 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 The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong / Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge
- Any instrument of the same musicological type.
- A harmonica.
- A struck tuned percussion instrument of metal or wooden bars, especially as a function of a theatre organ.
- A grain sieve.
- 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. Contains charts and instructions for wiring. Shows sockets, wire, harps, glass chimneys and globes, shade holders, bases, finials, and hundreds of items necessary in the building of lamps.
- Ellipsis of harp seal More likely, it was the prospect of meat. Curwen was by now craving a juicy roast – 'even seal chop' – and was always loosing off at tickleasses and harps.
Similar: glee-beam
verb harps · harping · harped
- To repeatedly mention a subject, especially so as to nag or complain. Why do you harp on a single small mistake?
- To play on (a harp or similar instrument).
- To play (a tune) on the harp.
- To develop or give expression to by skill and art; to sound forth as from a harp; to hit upon. Thou harped my fear aright.
Similar: keep on about, perseverate
Harp²
proper noun
- A surname originating as an occupation for a player of the harp.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: harmonica, mouth organ, mouth harp, dwell, nag, aeolian, complain, jews, lyra, greenlandic, greenland, repeat, reiterate, insist, persist, belabor
noun
Similar: glee-beam
verb
Similar: keep on about, perseverate
Translations
Every language
noun musical instrument
| Español | arpa, harpa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 하프 hapeu |
| 日本語 | ハープ hāpu |
| 中文 | 豎琴 /竖琴 shùqín |
| हिन्दी | वीणा vīṇā |
| Kiswahili | kinubi |
| Português | harpa |
| Français | harpe |
| Deutsch | Harfe |
| Italiano | arpa |
| Ελληνικά | άρπα árpa |
| Română | harfă, harpă |
| Русский | а́рфа árfa |
| Tiếng Việt | thụ cầm, hạc cầm, đàn hạc, đàn harp |
| العربية | قِيثَارَة qīṯāra |
| עברית | נֵבֶל |
verb to repeatedly mention a subject
| 日本語 | くどくど言う kudokudoiu |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | auf herumreiten (etwas) |
Talk about this word "harp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/harp. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. harp. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/harp "harp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/harp.Cite this
@misc{harp_2026,
title = {harp},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/harp},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
