harpy
harpy Lexical Profile
harpy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
In Greek and Roman mythology, a rapacious, foul-smelling monster having a woman's head and torso and a bird's wings, tail, and talons, often sent by the gods to torment wrongdoers or snatch away food.
"In classical mythology, King Phineus was tormented by a flock of harpies that swooped down to steal or defile his food whenever a banquet was laid out."
A grasping, unpleasant, shrewish, or predatory person, especially a nagging or ill-tempered woman.
"The playwright portrayed the greedy landlady as a relentless harpy who hounded her tenants for every last coin."
A harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), a very large, powerful crested bird of prey of the family Accipitridae native to Neotropical rainforests from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
"High in the canopy of the Amazon rainforest, the harpy scanned the branches for sloths and monkeys."
Word Nuance & Usage
When applied to a person, 'harpy' is strongly derogatory and traditionally gendered, used almost exclusively as a pejorative insult against a woman perceived as nagging, greedy, or cruel.
• Rhymes for harpy
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English via Old French and Latin Harpyia from Ancient Greek Harpuiai (literally 'snatchers'), derived from the verb harpazein ('to snatch or seize'), originally personifying violent storm winds that carried people away.