An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Harfe

by Friedrich Kluge

Harfe, feminine, ‘harp,’ from the equivalent Middle High German harfe, harpfe, Old High German harfa, harpha, feminine; compare Anglo-Saxon hearpe, feminine, English harp; a common Teutonic word (Venantius Fortunatus calls harpa a barbaric, i.e. Teutonic instrument), denoting a string instrument peculiar to the Teutons. Its use was confined in earlier times to the Old Teutonic chiefs, just as the violin or fiddle was to the common folk.