harp
part of speech
noun (harp, harps); verb (harp, harps, harped, harping)
meaning for a pupil
1) A large musical instrument with many strings stretched on a tall frame, played by plucking with the fingers. tree →
2) (Bible) In the Bible King David played the harp (lyre) and wrote psalms. tree →
3) (verb, informal) «Harp on» means to keep talking about the same thing in a boring or annoying way. tree →
4) (informal) A harmonica, sometimes called a mouth harp or blues harp. tree →
sense in the lessons
In music lessons it is a string instrument in the orchestra. It is a symbol of Ireland and appears on Irish coins. In Bible stories David played the harp to calm King Saul. «Harp on» is everyday speech for nagging. Phrases: play the harp, harp music, harp on about, Irish harp.
examples
- She plays the harp in the school orchestra. tree →
- The harp makes a soft, rippling sound. tree →
- In the Bible, David played the harp for King Saul. tree →
- The Irish harp is a symbol of Ireland. tree →
- Stop harping on about your new trainers! tree →
- Angels are often drawn with harps. tree →
- And the harp played a merry tune. tree →
note
Plural: harps. A person who plays it is a harpist. «Harp on» is informal and a little critical. Not the same as «harpoon».
In the corpora
- Christians say what heaven is like is beyond description; wings, harps and clouds are only pictures from paintings and cartoons.
- And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
- Wherefore my heart moaneth like a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-heres.
- The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
- And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease, and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «harp» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.