harpy
Meaning
- A mythological creature generally depicted as a bird-of-prey with the head of a maiden, a face pale with hunger and long claws on her hands personifying the destructive power of storm winds.
- A shrewish woman.
- One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
- The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus).
- A large and powerful double-crested, short-winged American eagle (Harpia harpyja).
Synonyms
Harpia harpyja
tube-nosed bat
tube-nosed fruit bat
Harpy
harrier eagle
Frequency
Hyphenated as
har‧py
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈhɑɹpi/
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.
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Notes