Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Harp
Harp
(härp)
, Noun.
[OE.
harpe
, AS. hearpe
; akin to D. harp
, G. harfe
, OHG. harpha
, Dan. harpe
, Icel. & Sw. harpa
.] 1.
A musical instrument consisting of a triangular frame furnished with strings and sometimes with pedals, held upright, and played with the fingers.
2.
(Astron.)
A constellation; Lyra, or the Lyre.
3.
A grain sieve.
[Scot.]
Aeolian harp
. See under
Aeolian
.Harp seal
(Zool.)
, an arctic seal (
– Phoca Grœnlandica
). The adult males have a light-colored body, with a harp-shaped mark of black on each side, and the face and throat black. Called also saddler
, and saddleback
. The immature ones are called bluesides
; their fur is white, and they are killed and skinned to harvest the fur. Harp shell
(Zool.)
, a beautiful marine gastropod shell of the genus
Harpa
, of several species, found in tropical seas. See Harpa
.Harp
,Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Harped
(härpt)
p. pr. & vb. n.
Harping
.] 1.
To play on the harp.
I heard the voice of harpers,
harping
with their harps. Rev. xiv. 2.
2.
To dwell on or recur to a subject tediously or monotonously in speaking or in writing; to refer to something repeatedly or continually; – usually with on or upon.
“Harpings upon old themes.” W. Irving.
Harping
on what I am,Not what he knew I was.
Shakespeare
To harp on one string
, to dwell upon one subject with disagreeable or wearisome persistence.
[Colloq.]
Harp
,Verb.
T.
To play on, as a harp; 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 ’st
harped
my fear aright. Shakespeare
Webster 1828 Edition
Harp
H`ARP
, n.1.
An instrument of music of the stringed kind, of a triangular figure, held upright and commonly touched with the fingers.2.
A constellation.H`ARP
,Verb.
I.
I heard the voice of harpers,harping with their harps. Rev.14.
1.
To dwell on, in speaking or writing; to continue sounding. He seems
Proud and disdainful,harping on what I am--
Not what he knew I was.
2.
To touch as a passion; to affect.Definition 2024
Harp
harp
harp
See also: Harp
English
Noun
harp (plural harps)
- (music) 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
- Any instrument of the same musicological type.
- (colloquial) A harmonica.
- (Scotland) A grain sieve.
Derived terms
See also
References
- 2013. The Physics of Musical Instruments. Neville H. Fletcher, Thomas Rossing. Pg. 331.
Translations
musical instrument
|
|
Verb
harp (third-person singular simple present harps, present participle harping, simple past and past participle harped)
- (usually with on) To repeatedly mention a subject.
- Why do you harp on a single small mistake? (US)
- Why do you harp on about a single small mistake? (UK)
- (transitive) To play on (a harp or similar instrument)
- (transitive) To play (a tune) on the harp.
- (transitive) 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. — Shakespeare.
Synonyms
- keep on about
- perseverate
Translations
to repeatedly mention a subject
Anagrams
Dutch
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɑrp
- IPA(key): /ɦɑrp/
Etymology
From Middle Dutch harpe, from Old Dutch *harpa, from Proto-Germanic *harpǭ. Compare Low German Harp, German Harfe, West Frisian harpe, English harp, Danish harpe.
Noun
harp f, m (plural harpen, diminutive harpje n)
Turkish
Etymology
Borrowing from Arabic حَرْب (ḥarb).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /hɑrp/
Noun
harp (definite accusative harbı, plural harplar)
- (dated) war
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English harpe, from Old English hearpe (“harp”), 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”).
