Added 8 October 2026
harp
/hɑːp/ noun
In Latin: sambuca, harpa, psalterium Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about harp at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers.
- A pair of curved vertical supports for a lampshade.
- A small rectangular free-reed instrument having a row of free reeds set back in air holes and played by blowing into the desired hole.
verb
-
Come back to.
Don't dwell on the past
-
Play the harp.
She harped the Saint-Saens beautifully
Origin
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”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)