 3 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
harpy
noun
1: a malicious fierce-tempered woman [syn: {vixen}, {hellcat}]
2: (Greek mythology) vicious winged monster; often depicted as
a bird with the head of a woman
3: any of various fruit bats of the genus Nyctimene
distinguished by nostrils drawn out into diverging tubes
[syn: {harpy bat}, {tube-nosed bat}, {tube-nosed fruit bat}]
4: large black-and-white crested eagle of tropical America
[syn: {harpy eagle}, {Harpia harpyja}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Harpy \Har"py\ (h[aum]r"p[y^]), noun; pl. {Harpies} (-p[i^]z). [F.
harpie, L. harpyia, Gr. "a'rpyia, from the root of "arpa'zein
to snatch, to seize. Cf. {Rapacious}.]
1. (Gr. Myth.) A fabulous winged monster, ravenous and
filthy, having the face of a woman and the body of a
vulture, with long claws, and the face pale with hunger.
Some writers mention two, others three.
Both table and provisions vanished quite.
With sound of harpies' wings and talons heard.
--Milton.
2. One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
The harpies about all pocket the pool. --Goldsmith.
3. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier ({Circus
[ae]ruginosus}).
(b) A large and powerful, double-crested, short-winged
American eagle ({Thrasa["e]tus harpyia}). It ranges
from Texas to Brazil.
{Harpy bat} (Zo["o]l.)
(a) An East Indian fruit bat of the genus {Harpyia} (esp.
{Harpyia cephalotes}), having prominent, tubular
nostrils.
(b) A small, insectivorous Indian bat ({Harpiocephalus
harpia}).
{Harpy fly} (Zo["o]l.), the house fly.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
61 Moby Thesaurus words for "harpy":
Argus, Briareus, Cerberus, Charybdis, Cyclops, Echidna, Gorgon,
Harpy, Hydra, Loch Ness monster, Medusa, Minotaur, Pegasus, Python,
Scylla, Sphinx, Talos, Typhon, Xanthippe, amazon, blackmailer,
bloodsucker, centaur, chimera, cockatrice, dragon, drake,
extortionist, fishwife, griffin, hippocampus, leech, mermaid,
merman, nixie, ogre, ogress, predator, profiteer, racketeer,
raptor, roc, salamander, satyr, scold, sea horse, sea serpent,
shakedown artist, shark, shrew, siren, termagant, troll, unicorn,
vampire, vixen, vulture, werewolf, windigo, xiphopagus, zombie
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