harper

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhɑː(ɹ)pə(ɹ)/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English, inherited from Old English hearpere (“one who plays the harp”),^[2][3] an agent noun from the verb harp.^[2][4] Compare German Harfner.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who plays the harp: before 800 in the OED;^[5] Old English in Etymonline and the SOED.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

As a surname it is from the late 12th century.^[2] In the 16th and 17th centuries Irish coins bearing a harp, especially a shilling, were called harpers.^[5][4] A different, erroneous harper, a harpy, appears from 1586.^[5][4]

Timeline

• before 800 – a harp player.^[5]
• late 12th century – as a surname.^[2]
• 1598 – an Irish coin.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who plays the harp; a harpist.
2. (historical) An Irish coin, especially a shilling, bearing the figure of a harp.

Related words

• harp
• harpist
• minstrel

Usage notes

In Fife, the harper crab is a name for a kind of crab.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)