A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: <1375, 1375, 1491-1549, 1615-1664
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Harpar, n. Also: harpare, -air, -er. [ME. harper (14th c.), -are (1297), OE. hearpere, harpere, ON. harpare.]
1. A harper. Also attrib. 1364 Exchequer Rolls II. 124.
[Thome Harper 1371 Reg. Great S. (1814) 86/1.
De terris de Harparlande 1375 Barb. xv. 181.]
Gib Harpar 1491 Treasurer's Accounts I. 117.
Til ane Ersche harpar 1496 Ib. 288.
To the harpare with the a hand 1501 Ib. II. 125.
To the lard of Balnagounis harpare 1531 Bell. Boece I. 231.
He … commandit ane harpar to sing 1549 Edinb. Hammermen 179 b.
The viollaris, harperis, pypparis, fidlarisattrib. c1615 Chron. Kings 19.
He wes ane grit luiffar of musik, and he wes murdreist … be ane harpar warlatt
2. The name of some tool of a bowyer. 1664 Edinburgh Testaments LXXI. 313 b.
Ane harper, ane turneing loome, and ane bose loomheid
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"Harpar n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/harpar>
