Harp

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /hɑːp/

Definitions

1. A stringed musical instrument with a triangular frame, played by plucking its vertically arranged strings with the fingers
2. A musical instrument featuring a triangular body with numerous strings that are played by plucking for melodic sounds
3. A large triangular stringed instrument played by hand, producing sound by plucking stretched strings

Etymology: The harp is one of the oldest instruments in the Germanic-speaking world, and its name reaches back to a Proto-Germanic word *harpǭ that was shared across a wide family of languages. Old English "hearpe" passed into Middle English as "harpe," and the same root survives today in German "Harfe," Dutch "harp," Swedish "harpa," and Scots "hairp," showing that the instrument and its name were common property long before English had a standard spelling. The word is also a verb, used of someone who keeps returning to one subject, as in harping on a grievance. That sense comes from playing the instrument over and over, a repetition the verb has carried since its early use.

Synonyms: lyre, zither, stringed instrument, instrument, musical instrument