harp n
1. 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
2. a pair of curved vertical supports for a lampshade
3. 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 [syn: harmonica, mouth organ, mouth harp}] v
4. come back to; "Don't dwell on the past"; "She is always harping on the same old things" [syn: dwell]
5. play the harp; "She harped the Saint-Saens beautifully"

Harp \Harp\, n. [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.] [AE]olian harp. See under [AE]olian. Harp seal (Zo["o]l.), an arctic seal (Phoca Gr[oe]nlandica}). 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 \Harp\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Harpedp. pr. & vb. n. Harping.] [AS. hearpian. See Harp, n.]
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. --Shak. To harp on one string, to dwell upon one subject with disagreeable or wearisome persistence. [Collog.]

Harp \Harp\, v. t. To play on, as a harp; to play (a tune) on the harp; to

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The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. It is classified as a chordophone by the Harvard Dictionary of Music and only types of harps are in that class of instruments with plucked strings. All harps have a neck, resonator, and strings. Some, known as frame harps, also have a forepillar; those lacking the forepillar are referred to as open harps. Depending on its size (which varies considerably), a harp may be played while held in the lap or while it stands on the floor. Harp strings are made of nylon, gut, wire, or silk on certain instruments. A person who plays the harp is called a harpist or harper. Folk musicians often use the term "harper", whereas classical musicians use "harpist".

Various types of harps are found in Africa, Europe, North, and South America, and in Asia. In antiquity, harps and the closely related lyres were very prominent in nearly all cultures. The oldest harps found thus far have been uncovered in ruins from ancient Sumer. The harp also predominant in the hands of medieval bards, troubadors and minnesingers, as well as throughout the Spanish Empire. Harps continued to grow in popularity through improvements in their design and construction through the beginning of the 20th century.

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