Wiktionary

harpoon

English

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harpoon
 
a whaling harpoon

Etymology

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From Old French harpon, from Latin harpaga, a rare 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.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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harpoon (plural harpoons)

  1. A spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in hunting whales and large fish.
  2. A sharp tip within a disposable syringe, used to penetrate the stopper.
  3. (slang) A harmonica.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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harpoon (third-person singular simple present harpoons, present participle harpooning, simple past and past participle harpooned)

  1. (transitive) To shoot something with a harpoon.
    • 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 176:
      Pilot whales, also known as blackfish, were fairly plentiful, and Mundus would harpoon one or two, haul them out onto the beach, and butcher them.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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