What does "harp" mean?
Harp: (Astron.) A constellation; Lyra, or the Lyre.
Additional senses
- 2.A grain sieve. [Scot.] Æolian harp. See under Æolian. Harp seal (Zoöl.), an arctic seal (Phoca Groenlandica). 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. -- Harp shell (Zoöl.), a beautiful marine gastropod shell of the genus Harpa, of several species, found in tropical seas. See Harpa.
- 3.To play on the harp. I heard the voice of harpers, harping with their harps. Rev. xiv.
- 4.2. 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. Shak. To harp on one string, to dwell upon one subject with disagreeable or wearisome persistence. [Collog.]
- 5.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 'harped my fear aright. Shak.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00