Nearby Words
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noun
1.
a barbed, spearlike missile attached to a rope, and thrown by hand or shot from a gun, used for killing and capturing whales and large fish.
2.
(initial capital letter) Military. a jet-powered, radar-guided U.S. Navy cruise missile with a high explosive warhead designed for use against surface ships and launchable from a surface vessel, submerged submarine, or aircraft.
verb (used with object)
3.
to strike, catch, or kill with or as if with a harpoon.
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Harpoon
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to bark; yelp. |
Origin:
1590–1600; < Dutch harpoen ≪ Old French harpon a clasp, brooch, equivalent to harp- (< Latin harpē < Greek: hook) + -on diminutive suffix
1590–1600; < Dutch harpoen ≪ Old French harpon a clasp, brooch, equivalent to harp- (< Latin harpē < Greek: hook) + -on diminutive suffix
Related forms
har·poon·er, noun
har·poon·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To harpoon
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
harpoon
1613, from Fr. harpon, from O.Fr. harpon "cramp iron, clamp" (described as a mason's tool for fastening stones together), from harper "to grapple, grasp," possibly of Gmc. origin, or from L. harpa- "hook" (cf. harpagonem "grappling hook," from Gk. *harpagon, related to harpe "sickle"). Earlier harping-iron
EXPAND(1596). Sense and spelling perhaps infl. by Du. (cf. M.Du. harpoen) or Basque, the first whaling peoples, who usually accompanied Eng. sailors on their early expeditions.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
harpoon
barbed spear used to kill whales, tuna, swordfish, and other large sea creatures, formerly thrown by hand but now, in the case of whales, shot from especially constructed guns
Learn more about harpoon with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Word Dynamo Rating For Harpoon
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