harpy
UK /ˈhɑːpi/ · US /ˈhɑɹpi/ noun
Forms harpies
- noun (mythology) 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.
- noun (derogatory) A shrewish woman.
- noun One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
- noun Any of a number of eagle-like birds of prey of the subfamily Harpiinae, especially the species Harpia harpyja.
- noun The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus).
Synonyms
battle axe bitch brim brimstone cat cockatrice crow dragon faggot fishwife harridan hellcat jade nag nudnik scold she-devil shrew termagant virago vixen harpy bat tube-nosed bat tube-nosed fruit bat harpy eagle Harpia harpyja
Etymology
Ultimately from Middle French harpie, from Latin harpyia, from Ancient Greek ἅρπυιᾰ (hárpuiă, literally “snatcher”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch, seize”). Compare rapacious. Middle English had arpie.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fabulous winged monster, ravenous and filthy, having the face of a woman and the body of a vulture, with long claws, and the face pale with hunger. Some writers mention two, others three.
- noun One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
Etymology [F. harpie, L. harpyia, Gr. Rapacious.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “harpy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details