harpy
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harpy
- /ˈhɑɹpi/ US
- /ˈhɑːpi/ UK
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)pi
Where it comes from
Ultimately from Middle French harpie, from Latin harpyia, from Ancient Greek ἅρπυιᾰ (hárpuiă, literally “snatcher”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch, seize”). Compare rapacious. Middle English had arpie.
noun harpies
- A mythological creature generally depicted as a bird-of-prey with the head of a maiden, a face pale with hunger and long claws on her hands personifying the destructive power of storm winds. Both table and provisions vanish'd quite, With sound of harpies' wings and talons heard.
-
A shrewish woman.
But her most subtle wiles proved ineffectual in ridding her, even for a moment, of her harpy jailer[…]
Similar: battle axe, bitch, brim, brimstone, cat, cockatrice, crow, dragon, faggot, fishwife, harpy, harridan
- One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner. c. 1772, Oliver Goldsmith, letter to Mrs. Bunbury The harpies about me all pocket the pool.
- Any of a number of eagle-like birds of prey of the subfamily Harpiinae, especially the species Harpia harpyja.
- The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus).
Translations
Every language
noun fabulous winged monster with the face of a woman
| Español | arpía, harpía |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 하르피이아 hareupiia |
| 日本語 | ハルピュイア |
| 中文 | 哈比 habǐ, 鹰身女妖 yīngshēnnǚyāo |
| Português | harpia |
| Français | harpie |
| Deutsch | Harpyie |
| Italiano | arpia |
| Ελληνικά | άρπυια árpyia |
| Română | harpie |
| Русский | га́рпия gárpija |
| עברית | הַרְפִּיָּה hárpiya |
noun obnoxious, shrewish woman
| Español | arpía |
|---|---|
| Português | harpia |
| Français | harpie, chipie, rosse |
| Deutsch | Drachen |
| Română | scorpie |
| Русский | га́рпия gárpija, меге́ра megéra, сте́рва stérva |
noun bird of prey of the subfamily Harpiinae
| Português | uiraçu |
|---|
Talk about this word "harpy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/harpy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. harpy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/harpy "harpy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/harpy.Cite this
@misc{harpy_2026,
title = {harpy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/harpy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
