Hypertext Webster Gateway: "harpy"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Harpy \Har"py\, n.; pl. {Harpies}. [F. harpie, L. harpyia, Gr.
?, from the root of ? to snatch, to seize. Gf. {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 guite. 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.
{H. cerphalotes}), having prominent, tubular nostrils.
(b) A small, insectivorous Indian bat ({Harpiocephalus
harpia}).
{Harpy fly} (Zo["o]l.), the house fly.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
harpy
n 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 [syn: {Harpy}]
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}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.