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wind harp

wind harp

8.8
An instrument like a harp with many strings that the wind moves to make sound
  • noun
  • /wɪnd hɑrp/
translation icon : 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
37 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
4 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
aeolian harp
vswind harp
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
chordophone
vswind harp
  • Specialized
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

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.