harpa

Forms

harpa f (plural harpas)^[1] The medieval and classical spelling is arpa: the 14th-century texts and the dictionaries of Cardoso (1569) and Barbosa (1611) write it so.^[2][3][4][5] Pereira (1697), Bluteau and Morais (1789, 1813) still refer harpa to arpa.^[6][7][8][9]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French harpe, from Late Latin harpa, which is of Germanic origin.^[2][3][10] Houaiss adds that the word entered Late Latin through soldiers of Germanic origin.^[2] Wiktionary has it instead inherited from the Late Latin word, written Old Galician-Portuguese arpa in the old language.^[1] Nascentes names both routes, through Vulgar Latin and through French.^[11]

The Latin word is first found in Venantius Fortunatus: “Romanusque lyra, plaudat tibi barbarus harpa” “the Roman praises you with the lyre, the barbarian with the harp”.^[12][13][1] Wiktionary takes it from Frankish *harpā, from Proto-Germanic *harpǭ, the source of harfa and hearpe.^[1][2][14] Its further origin is uncertain: Wiktionary suggests a root meaning “to turn, bend”, and Orel compares Latin corbis (“basket”).^[1][14]

The same word is Spanish arpa, Catalan arpa, Italian arpa and Old Occitan arpa.^[15] Corominas argues that the Spanish word, too, came from Old French, since the initial aspiration rules out an inheritance from Gothic.^[16]

Earliest recorded meaning

Houaiss and Cunha date the word to the 14th century, spelt arpa.^[2][3] The Crónica Troiana lists it among instruments: giga, arpa, cinfonja, and a Galician Estoria has çytolas et vyolas et arpas.^[17]

Semantic evolution

Cardoso (1569) and Barbosa (1611) render arpa by Latin cithara, and Barbosa has tangedor de arpa “harpist”.^[4][5] The derivative harpista is recorded from 1712, first as arpista.^[18] The spelling with h won in the 19th century: Vieira (1871–1874) heads the word harpa.^[19]

Figueiredo (1899) has the figurative senses “religious poetry” and “poetry in general” and the name of a sea snail.^[20] In printing it names a harp-shaped part of the composing machine.^[2][21] In the Alentejo it is used for “appetite, hunger”.^[22]

Timeline

• 14th century – first records, spelt arpa.^[2][3]
• 1569 – Cardoso renders arpa by Latin cithara.^[4]
• 1611 – Barbosa lists tangedor de arpa “harpist”.^[5]
• 1712 – first record of arpista, later harpista.^[18]
• 1836 – first record of the verb harpear “to play the harp”.^[23]
• 1871–1874 – Vieira heads the word harpa.^[19]

Meanings

Noun

1. The harp, a stringed instrument plucked with the fingers; today a roughly triangular frame with strings of unequal length and pedals.^[2][10][1]
2. (figurative) poetry, especially religious poetry.^[20][24]
3. (printing) A harp-shaped box in a typesetting machine.^[2][21]
4. (zoology) A sea snail of the genus Harpa.^[21][24]
5. (Portugal: Alentejo) appetite; hunger.^[22]

Word family

• harpista
• harpear

Related words

• Spanish arpa
• French harpe

Usage notes

Harpa eólia is the aeolian harp, a sound box with strings that sound in the wind.^[2][24]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. harpa
3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. harpa
4. ^ a b c Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. arpa
5. ^ a b c Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. arpa
6. ^ Pereira, Bento (1697), Thesouro da lingoa portuguesa, in the 1697 edition of his Prosodia (1st ed. 1647; CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. harpa
7. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. harpa
8. ^ Silva, António de Morais (1789), Diccionario da lingua portugueza composto pelo padre D. Rafael Bluteau, reformado, e accrescentado, 2 vols., Lisboa: Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, p. 1, 678
9. ^ Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 111
10. ^ a b Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. harpa
11. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. harpa
12. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. harpa
13. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. arpa
14. ^ a b Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 163
15. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 4054
16. ^ Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 1, 344
17. ^ Instituto da Lingua Galega, Dicionario de dicionarios do galego medieval (DDGM), ed. Ernesto González Seoane, Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/ddgm, p. s.v. arpa
18. ^ a b Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. harpista
19. ^ a b Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 3, 953
20. ^ a b Figueiredo, Cândido de (1899), Novo diccionário da língua portuguesa, 1st ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Tavares Cardoso & Irmão, p. 693
21. ^ a b c Michaelis: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, São Paulo: Melhoramentos (online as Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa, https://michaelis.uol.com.br), p. s.v. harpa
22. ^ a b Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. harpa
23. ^ Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. harpear
24. ^ a b c Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 4852