aeolian harp
aeolian harp (from Aeolus, the mythological keeper of the winds). An instr. consisting of a box about 3′ long, with catgut str. of different thicknesses but tuned in unison attached to its upper surface. It could be placed along a window ledge or elsewhere where the wind could catch it and set the str. in vibration, thereby producing harmonics which varied with the thickness of the str. and the velocity of the wind to give a chordal effect. The Aeolian harp was popular from the late 16th or early 17th cents. to the late 19th cent. Now made as a toy.
More From encyclopedia.com
Beaufort Wind Scale , In 1805, to standardize nautical observations, Sir Francis Beaufort , an Irish hydrographer and member of the British Admiralty, created a scale for… Wind Tunnel , wind tun·nel / wind/ • n. a tunnel-like apparatus for producing an airstream of known velocity past models of aircraft, buildings, etc., in order to… Surface Wind , surface wind The wind close to the Earth's surface, the velocity of which is usually measured at a standard height of 10 m. Surface-wind velocity is… katabatic wind , katabatic wind(drainage wind, mountain breeze) A generic term for the wind that occurs when cold, dense air, chilled by radiation cooling, usually at… Wind , Wind
Wind refers to any flow of air above Earth's surface in a roughly horizontal direction. A wind is always named according to the direction from w… Galey & Lord, Inc. , gale / gāl/ • n. a very strong wind: it was almost blowing a gale| [as adj.] gale-force winds. ∎ Meteorol. a wind of force 7 to 10 on the Beaufort sc…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
aeolian harp