harpoon
noun
- long spear-like tool for fishing or whaling
verb
- to throw and pierce an object with a harpoon or a similar projectile
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /hɑːɹˈpuːn/ / /hɑːˈpuːn/
noun
Etymology: From Old French harpon, from Latin harpaga, a variant of Latin harpagō, from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch harpoen (“harpoon”). Doublet of harpagon.
- A spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in hunting whales and large fish.
- A sharp tip within a disposable syringe, used to penetrate the stopper.
- A harmonica.
“I took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana.”
verb
Etymology: From Old French harpon, from Latin harpaga, a variant of Latin harpagō, from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch harpoen (“harpoon”). Doublet of harpagon.
- To shoot something with a harpoon.
“Pilot whales, also known as blackfish, were fairly plentiful, and Mundus would harpoon one or two, haul them out onto the beach, and butcher them.”