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definitions

harpoon

[hahr-poon]
See more synonyms for harpoon on Thesaurus.com
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)
  1. to strike, catch, or kill with or as if with a harpoon.

Origin of harpoon

1590–1600; < Dutch harpoen ≪ Old French harpon a clasp, brooch, equivalent to harp- (< Latin harpē < Greek: hook) + -on diminutive suffix
Related formshar·poon·er, nounhar·poon·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for harpoon

pistol, bomb, sword, gun, missile, cannon, rifle, machete, ammunition, firearm, knife, shotgun, revolver, blade, skewer, bayonet, dart, harpoon, catapult, dagger

Examples from the Web for harpoon

Historical Examples of harpoon

  • In addition to the harpoon every swordfish fisherman carries a lance.

  • He had not time to get it from the sheath before I had the harpoon through him.

  • We supposed that the paddle and the harpoon went with the kayak.

    Left on Labrador

    Charles Asbury Stephens

  • He had a harpoon and I had a knife and we beat them and took their ship.

    The Beach of Dreams

    H. De Vere Stacpoole

  • Almost before the harpoon has struck the boat is backed swiftly.

    From Pole to Pole

    Sven Anders Hedin

British Dictionary definitions for harpoon

harpoon

noun
    1. a barbed missile attached to a long cord and hurled or fired from a gun when hunting whales, etc
    2. (as modifier)a harpoon gun
verb
  1. (tr) to spear with or as if with a harpoon
Derived Formsharpooner or harpooneer, nounharpoon-like, adjective

Word Origin for harpoon

C17: probably from Dutch harpoen, from Old French harpon clasp, from harper to seize, perhaps of Scandinavian origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for harpoon
n.

1610s, from French harpon, from Old French harpon "cramp iron, clamp, clasp" (described as a mason's tool for fastening stones together), from harper "to grapple, grasp," possibly of Germanic origin, or from Latin harpa- "hook" (cf. harpagonem "grappling hook," from Greek *harpagon, related to harpe "sickle"). Earlier harping-iron (mid-15c.). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch (cf. Middle Dutch harpoen) or Basque, the language of the first whaling peoples, who often accompanied English sailors on their early expeditions. Also see -oon.

v.

1774, from harpoon (n.). Related: Harpooned; harpooning. For agent-noun forms, harpooner is from 1726; harpooneer from 1610s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper