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wind harp

wind harp

1 8.8
An instrument like a harp with many strings that the wind moves to make sound
  • noun
  • /wɪnd hɑrp/
: arpa eólica
  • In the garden, the artist installed a wind harp that played soothing music as the breeze passed.

Examples

  • Sounds a bit like a wind harp.

    Blog text (12)
  • As we walked along the beach, we could hear the gentle notes of the wind harp blending with the sound of the waves.

  • The wind blew softly through the strings of the wind harp, creating beautiful melodies.

Synonyms

harp
vswind harp
43 1.9

A large stringed instrument with a triangular frame that you play by plucking

uses wind to make sound from strings tuned in unison rather than finger plucking
stringed instrument
vswind harp
  • Specialized
6 2.9

A musical instrument that makes sound when its strings are played, like a guitar or violin

is driven by wind across tuned unison strings rather than by plucking or bowing
chordophone
vswind harp
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A musical instrument that makes sound by vibrating strings, like a violin or harp

focuses on wind activation of tuned unison strings rather than any vibrating string method
aeolian harp
vswind harp
1 9.9

An instrument with strings that the wind plays to make soft music

is the same instrument but called by a different name
aeolian lyre
vswind harp
9.9

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

is the more typical triangular framed instrument rather than a similar variant

Surface Forms

wind harp singular
wind harps plural

Morphology

wind + harp

The meaning is directly derived from the constituents: a harp (stringed instrument) that is sounded by the wind, so the sense is literal rather than idiomatic. This descriptive compound follows common cross-linguistic patterns for naming instruments (e.g., Aeolian/wind harp), making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Wind harp names an instrument where the wind moves the strings of a harp like a player's fingers, so the instrument makes soft 'music' without a person. That's why the name links wind and 'harp' and it means an object that plays when the breeze blows.