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harpist

harpist

5 5.5
A person who plays the harp, often as a job or serious hobby
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑːrpɪst/
translation icon : arpista
  • During the wedding reception, the harpist played soft, romantic music that filled the room with elegance.
  • harpist and pianist
  • harpist plays
  • music by harpist

We become harpists by playing the harp.

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Examples

  • I become a harpist by practising the art of playing the harp.

  • David the harpist is said to have been a talented player when young.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "Mother wants to know where your harpist is," I said.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The string quartet bored her, and she thought the harpist would never finish.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • We become harpists by playing the harp.

  • The harpist was a woman in her fifties who worked with Yvonne at the bar.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • A nearby American friend here in Paris is a blues harpist, slide guitarist, and singer from Denver.

    Blog text (18)
  • The harpists and the storytellers were welcome where they wandered, be it cottage, inn, or campfire.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • At the music festival, a talented harpist captivated the audience with her beautiful melodies.

  • As a dedicated musician, she spends hours practicing her skills as a harpist before her upcoming concert.

Synonyms

musician
vsharpist
644 1.8

A person who plays or writes music for others

is narrower, naming a person who plays a specific instrument often professionally or seriously
instrumentalist
vsharpist
5 5.3

A person who plays a musical instrument, often as a job

is focused on that same instrument but also covers skilled hobbyists
harper
vsharpist
1 7.8

A person who plays a large instrument with many strings that you pluck

includes those who play seriously as a hobby rather than only professionals

How Professional

harpist
5 5.5
hobbyist
12 3.5

Surface Forms

harpist singular
harpists plural

Morphology

harpist = harp (transparent) = harp + ist

The noun is formed by adding the productive agentive suffix '-ist' to the instrument name 'harp', yielding 'person who plays the harp'.

Etymology

The word harpist comes from the instrument harp, an old word for a string instrument, and the ending -ist, which means 'someone who does something' and appears in words like pianist. So a harpist is someone who plays the harp, often as a job or a serious hobby.