Harpy

[ hahr-pee ]

/ ˈhɑr pi /

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See synonyms for Harpy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural Har·pies.

Classical Mythology. a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman's head and a bird's body.

(lowercase) a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew.

(lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.

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Origin of Harpy

<Latin Harpȳia, singular of Harpȳiae<Greek Hárpȳiai (plural), literally, snatchers, akin to harpázein to snatch away

OTHER WORDS FROM Harpy

harp·y·like, adjective

Words nearby Harpy

harp on, harpoon, harpoon gun, harp seal, harpsichord, Harpy, harpy eagle, harquebus, harquebusier, Harrer, harridan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Harpy in a sentence

She turned upon the intruder with a curse, but Azalea had been right in believing that gold would loosen the old harpy's tongue.
They Looked and Loved|Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller
A feather duster was stuck in for a tail, and his woolly head gave him the uncanny look of a black harpy.
Lazarre|Mary Hartwell Catherwood
There was the whole crew of the Harpy sloop, taken off here, treated in that way—that I know of to a certainty.
True Blue|W.H.G. Kingston
And the little girl struck and scratched and made a curdled face and echoed, “Harpy, your own self!”
The Cup of Fury|Rupert Hughes

"That harpy hopes to fleece us," said Dalrymple, slipping his arm through mine and drawing me towards the roulette table.
In the Days of My Youth|Amelia Ann Blandford Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for Harpy (1 of 2)

harpy

/ (ˈhɑːpɪ) /

noun plural -pies

a cruel grasping woman

Word Origin for harpy

C16: from Latin Harpyia, from Greek Harpuiai the Harpies, literally: snatchers, from harpazein to seize

British Dictionary definitions for Harpy (2 of 2)

Harpy

/ (ˈhɑːpɪ) /

noun plural -pies

Greek myth a ravenous creature with a woman's head and trunk and a bird's wings and claws

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