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• Harpy
  Harpy

  noun

  a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman's head and a bird's body.
• harpy
  harpy

  noun

  a cruel grasping woman

Harpy

American  

[hahr-pee] / ˈhɑr pi /

noun

• Harpies
  plural

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

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

3. (lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.

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Harpy ¹ British  

/ ˈhɑːpɪ /

noun

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

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harpy ² British  

/ ˈhɑːpɪ /

noun

1. a cruel grasping woman

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• harpylike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Harpies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Harpy

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

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Explanation

A harpy is a monster from Greek mythology. A harpy has the head and upper body of a woman and the wings and lower body of a bird. In Greek mythology, harpies were creatures who were sent by Zeus during storms to do his bidding. When a person or an object went missing, the disappearance was often blamed on harpies. The word harpy comes from a Greek word meaning "snatcher." Today, the word harpy is often used as a derogatory term for a very unpleasant woman.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Harpy harpy Harpies

Harpy eagles had been spotted along the river a couple of years ago, Mr. Gualinga said, adding that he’d seen them on trips to the area in recent months.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

Harpy eagles were once widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central and South America, but tree cutting and burning has dramatically shrunk their range.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2021

Harpy birthday: On Dec. 8, wish it on Ann Coulter.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 26, 2018

And the Harpy may be only the beginning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2018

“If you are not the Harpy, give me his name.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

If a woman's happiness depended on her husband or boyfriend tamping down his talents, we'd all think she was an evil harpy.

From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2024

At the first, we got lucky: Two magnificent harpy eagles high in the canopy were carrying clusters of dried branches to their growing nest in the crown of a ceiba tree.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

Interestingly, it was once thought that this species was related to other large forest eagles found around the world, such as the harpy eagle of South America and the crowned hawk eagle of Africa.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 28, 2021

Another memorable detail from the episode — Schlafly’s gown with its crazy harpy wings — is accurate but anachronistic.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2020

She seemed to be the only one who could touch the harpy without causing lots of screaming and twitching.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

We encounter it first in Homer’s “Iliad” and then again in Virgil’s “Aeneid,” where it appears at the doors of Hades alongside Gorgons, centaurs and Harpies.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023

The images of Chiron the centaur and his pupil Odysseus, or the purposeful winged Harpies, are burned into me.

From The Guardian ● May 23, 2020

The Greek hero sails through Harpies and clashing rocks to the Golden Fleece, guarded by the Hydra.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2019

But he barely has time to take a victory lap, because he's still got to see to the swarm of Harpies that materialize in the arena — you know what that means!

From The Verge ● Jun. 10, 2015

He knew through his gift of prophecy that he could be defended from the Harpies by two men alone, who were among the company on the Argo—the sons of Boreas, the great North Wind.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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