Resembling a harp in shape, sound, or function.
From harp (Old English hearpe, from Proto-Germanic *harpōn) plus -like (Old English -lic, meaning 'of the nature of'). The -like suffix has been used for over a thousand years to create resemblance descriptors.
Many early stringed instruments had vague, overlapping names—harps, lyres, and kitharas were often used interchangeably across cultures, which is why medieval texts sometimes use 'harplike' to describe instruments that weren't technically harps at all.
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