What does "harpy" mean?
Harpy: One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner. The harpies about all pocket the pool. Goldsmith.
Additional senses
- 2.(Zoöl.) (a) The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus æruginosus). (b) A large and powerful, double-crested, short-winged American eagle (Thrasaëtus harpyia). It ranges from Texas to Brazil. Harpy bat (Zoöl.) (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 (Zoöl.), the house fly.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00