harpy
English
Etymology
Ultimately from Middle French harpie, from Latin harpyia, from Ancient Greek Ἅρπυια (Hárpuia, literally “snatcher”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “I snatch, seize”). Compare rapacious. Middle English had arpie.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 229: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈhɑɹpi/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 229: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈhɑːpi/
- Rhymes: -ɑː(r)pi
- Hyphenation: har‧py
Noun
harpy (plural harpies)
- A fabulous winged monster, ravenous and filthy, having the face of a woman and the body of a vulture.
- Milton
- Both table and provisions vanished quite,
With sound of harpies' wings and talons heard.
- Both table and provisions vanished quite,
- Milton
- A shrewish woman.
- 1927, Edgar Rice Burrows, The Outlaw of Torn[1], HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008:
- But her most subtle wiles proved ineffectual in ridding her, even for a moment, of her harpy jailer […]
- One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
- Goldsmith
- The harpies about all pocket the pool.
- Goldsmith
- The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus).
- A large and powerful double-crested, short-winged American eagle (Harpia harpyja).
Synonyms
- (shrewish woman): See Thesaurus:shrew
Derived terms
Translations
Fabulous winged monster with the face of a woman
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Obnoxious, shrewish woman
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See also
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɑː(r)pi
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Birds of prey
- en:Eagles
- en:Mythological creatures
- en:People