autoharpn.
/ˈɔːtə(ʊ)hɑːp/, U.S. /ˈɔdəˌhɑrp/, /ˈɔdoʊˌhɑrp/, /ˈɑdəˌhɑrp/, /ˈɑdoʊˌhɑrp/ A type of zither fitted with a series of sprung and padded bars which dampen selected strings when activated, allowing chords to be played easily.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > zither > [noun]
cistiera1591
zither1831
qin1839
zeze1860
valiha?1866
cither1871
se1874
autoharp1882
zither banjo1888
gusli1893
langeleik1907
kantele1921
Scheitholt1961
1882 C. F. Zimmermann U.S. Patent 257,808 1/1 A harp so provided..I term an ‘autoharp’.
1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 82 Captain Heldt..produced an autoharp, an instrument upon which he was himself proficient.
1934 Musical Times 75 259/2 Miss Roma Howard..asks if any reader knows of an instruction book on the..‘Miranda’ auto-harp.
1958 Times 13 Oct. 3/4 The autoharp, a kind of sweet-toned zither.
2004 B. Dylan Chronicles I. ii. 70 He played all the instruments, whatever the song called for—the banjo, the fiddle, mandolin, autoharp [etc.].
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1882