Link Centre Dictionary

harpoon

har·poon

UK/hɑːˈpuːn/ US/hɑːɹˈpuːn/ uncommon slang
noun (1) verb (1)

noun

1.

a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is attached to it

verb

1.

spear with a harpoon

  • “harpoon whales”

Origin

From Old French harpon, from Latin harpaga, a variant of Latin harpagō, from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch harpoen (“harpoon”). Doublet of harpagon.

Phrases

  • harpoon fork
  • harpoon gun

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.