| harpoon | A spear or javelin used to strike and kill large fish, as whales; a harping iron. It consists of a long shank, with a broad, fiat, triangular head, sharpened at both edges, and is thrown by hand, or discharged from a gun. Harpoon fork, a kind of hayfork, consisting of bar with hinged barbs at one end a loop for a rope at the other end, used for lifting hay from the load by horse power. Harpoon gun, a gun used in the whale fishery for shooting the harpoon into a whale. Origin: F. Harpon, LL. Harpo, perh. Of Ger. Origin, fr. The harp; cf. F. Harper to take and grasp strongly, harpe a dog's claw, harpin boathook (the sense of hook coming from the shape of the harp); but cf. Also Gr. The kite, sickle, and E. Harpy. Cf. Harp. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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