Welsh harp

noun

A type of harp associated with traditional music of Wales, originally a simple single-string instrument and now more usually referring to a type of triple harp.

First used 16th c.
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Meanings

Welsh harp1

nounWelsh harp (plural Welsh harps)

plural Welsh harps

  1. entertainmentA type of harp associated with traditional music of Wales, originally a simple single-string instrument and now more usually referring to a type of triple harp.First known use 16th c.

    [A]ll the fiddles within six miles […] with the addition of a drum, bag-pipe, and Welch-harp, regaled the guests with a most melodious concert.

    1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC

Welsh Harp2

proper noun
  1. A reservoir in the borough of Brent and borough of Barnet, Greater London, England, officially named the Brent Reservoir.
  2. A council ward in the borough of Brent, Greater London (OS grid ref TQ2087).

Origin

Apparently named after a former public house, a pub name that crops up elsewhere, but there is some resemblance to the frame of a harp in the shape of the reservoir. This is the popular name, the official name (Brent Reservoir) probably comes from the River Brent, which is both inlet and outlet.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Welsh harp. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Welsh%20harp

MLA

“Welsh harp.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Welsh%20harp. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Welsh harp,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Welsh%20harp.

Source: Welsh harp on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.