harper

See also: Harper

English

Etymology

From Middle English harpere, from Old English hearpere (“harpist, harper”), equivalent to harp +‎ -er. Cognate with Middle Low German harpære (“harper”), German Harfer and Harfner (“harper”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑː(ɹ)pə(ɹ)/

Noun

harper (plural harpers)

1. A harpist, especially one who plays a traditional harp without pedals.
   • 1568, William Cornishe [i.e., William Cornysh], “In the Fleete Made by Me William Cornishe otherwise Called Nyshwhete Chapelman with the Most Famose and Noble Kyng Henry the VII. His Reygne the XIX. Yere the Moneth of July. A Treatise betwene Trouth, and Information.”, in John Skelton, edited by J[ohn] S[tow], Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate, Imprinted at London: In Fletestreate, neare vnto St Dunstan-in-the-West by Thomas Marshe, →OCLC; republished as Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate to King Henry the VIIIth, London: Printed for C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, 1736, →OCLC, page 290:

     The Harpe. […]
     A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong
     Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge

2. (obsolete) An old Irish brass coin bearing the emblem of a harp.
   • 1621 August 13 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Ben Jonson, “The Masque of the Gypsies”, in Q. Horatius Flaccus: His Art of Poetry. […], London: […] J[ohn] Okes, for John Benson […], published 1640, →OCLC:

     the harper that was gathered amongst us to pay the piper

Synonyms

• (one who plays a harp): harp-player, harpist

Derived terms

• Harper

References

• 2011. You Can Teach Yourself Lever Harp. Laurie Riley, Beth A. Kolle. Page 8.

Danish

Noun

harper c

1. indefinite plural of harpe

French

Etymology

From Old High German harfan.

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated h)} IPA^(key): /aʁ.pe/

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

harper

1. (transitive, intransitive) to grasp forcefully

Conjugation

Conjugation of harper (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	harper
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	harpant /aʁ.pɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		harpé /aʁ.pe/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	harpe /aʁp/	harpes /aʁp/	harpe /aʁp/	harpons /aʁ.pɔ̃/	harpez /aʁ.pe/	harpent /aʁp/
	imperfect	harpais /aʁ.pɛ/	harpais /aʁ.pɛ/	harpait /aʁ.pɛ/	harpions /aʁ.pjɔ̃/	harpiez /aʁ.pje/	harpaient /aʁ.pɛ/
	past historic2	harpai /aʁ.pe/	harpas /aʁ.pa/	harpa /aʁ.pa/	harpâmes /aʁ.pam/	harpâtes /aʁ.pat/	harpèrent /aʁ.pɛʁ/
	future	harperai /aʁ.pə.ʁe/	harperas /aʁ.pə.ʁa/	harpera /aʁ.pə.ʁa/	harperons /aʁ.pə.ʁɔ̃/	harperez /aʁ.pə.ʁe/	harperont /aʁ.pə.ʁɔ̃/
	conditional	harperais /aʁ.pə.ʁɛ/	harperais /aʁ.pə.ʁɛ/	harperait /aʁ.pə.ʁɛ/	harperions /aʁ.pə.ʁjɔ̃/	harperiez /aʁ.pə.ʁje/	harperaient /aʁ.pə.ʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	harpe /aʁp/	harpes /aʁp/	harpe /aʁp/	harpions /aʁ.pjɔ̃/	harpiez /aʁ.pje/	harpent /aʁp/
	imperfect2	harpasse /aʁ.pas/	harpasses /aʁ.pas/	harpât /aʁ.pa/	harpassions /aʁ.pa.sjɔ̃/	harpassiez /aʁ.pa.sje/	harpassent /aʁ.pas/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	harpe /aʁp/	—	harpons /aʁ.pɔ̃/	harpez /aʁ.pe/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Further reading

• “harper”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

harper m or f

1. indefinite plural of harpe

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

harper f

1. indefinite plural of harpe

Old French

Verb

harper

1. to play the harp

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ps, *-pt are modified to s, t. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of harper (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		harper			avoir harpé
gerund		en harpant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		harpant
past participle		harpé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	harp	harpes	harpe	harpons	harpez	harpent
	imperfect	harpoie, harpeie, harpoe, harpeve	harpoies, harpeies, harpoes, harpeves	harpoit, harpeit, harpot, harpeve	harpiiens, harpiens	harpiiez, harpiez	harpoient, harpeient, harpoent, harpevent
	preterite	harpai	harpas	harpa	harpames	harpastes	harperent
	future	harperai	harperas	harpera	harperons	harperoiz, harpereiz, harperez	harperont
	conditional	harperoie, harpereie	harperoies, harpereies	harperoit, harpereit	harperiiens, harperiens	harperiiez, harperiez	harperoient, harpereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	harp	hars	hart	harpons	harpez	harpent
	imperfect	harpasse	harpasses	harpast	harpissons, harpissiens	harpissoiz, harpissez, harpissiez	harpassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	harpe	—	harpons	harpez	—