harpoon

[ hahr-poon ]

SEE DEFINITION OF harpoon

as inweapon
as injavelin
as inspear

EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR HARPOON

In addition to the harpoon every swordfish fisherman carries a lance.

He had not time to get it from the sheath before I had the harpoon through him.

We supposed that the paddle and the harpoon went with the kayak.

He had a harpoon and I had a knife and we beat them and took their ship.

Almost before the harpoon has struck the boat is backed swiftly.

Then the whalers did not use a gun, but threw the harpoon by hand.

Gets harpooned, rubs the harpoon into himself, and slays himself.

That was the tightening of the line attached to the handle of the harpoon.

Simply the circumstance of his having held on to the harpoon.

The order when the harpooner has thrown his harpoon into the whale.

WORD ORIGIN

1610s, from French harpon, from Old French harpon "cramp iron, clamp, clasp" (described as a mason's tool for fastening stones together), from harper "to grapple, grasp," possibly of Germanic origin, or from Latin harpa- "hook" (cf. harpagonem "grappling hook," from Greek *harpagon, related to harpe "sickle"). Earlier harping-iron (mid-15c.). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch (cf. Middle Dutch harpoen) or Basque, the language of the first whaling peoples, who often accompanied English sailors on their early expeditions. Also see -oon.

harpoon

EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR HARPOON

WORD ORIGIN

MORE RELATED WORDS FOR HARPOON

javelin

spear

weapon

weapons