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Glite Dictionary
aeolian harp

aeolian harp

9.9
An instrument with strings that the wind plays to make soft music
  • noun
  • /iˈoʊliən hɑrp/
translation icon : arpa eólica
  • The aeolian harp filled the garden with soft, ethereal music as the evening breeze blew.

Examples

  • He placed an aeolian harp on his windowsill to let the autumn wind create haunting melodies.

  • The aeolian harp creates beautiful melodies.

  • The poet compared the aeolian harp to the natural expression of the soul in harmony with nature.

  • Have you ever heard an aeolian harp?

  • He placed an aeolian harp on his windowsill to let the autumn wind create haunting melodies.

  • The aeolian harp filled the garden with soft, ethereal music as the evening breeze blew.

  • As the wind swirled around the aeolian harp, it produced soothing sounds that echoed through the trees.

Synonyms

aeolian lyre
vsaeolian harp
9.9

A string instrument like a small harp that the wind plays to make music

is the same but stresses being played by natural air movement
wind harp
vsaeolian harp
8.8

An instrument like a harp with many strings that the wind moves to make sound

focuses on passive sound production by air rather than instrument shape

Surface Forms

aeolian harp singular
aeolian harps plural

Morphology

Aeolian + harp

The meaning 'a harp played by wind' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'Aeolian' (wind-related) + 'harp' (stringed instrument). If a learner knows both constituents, the phrase transparently refers to a wind-driven harp and follows a straightforward adjective+noun composition, so it should be understandable.

Etymology

The name aeolian harp comes from Aeolus, the Greek god of wind, because the instrument makes sound when air moves its strings. Imagine leaving a harp by a window so the breeze 'plays' it, and that is why it means 'a stringed instrument played by the wind'.