Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

harpy

/ˈhɑɹpi/ noun

In Latin: harpyia Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about harpy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A malicious woman with a fierce temper.
(Greek mythology) vicious winged monster; often depicted as a bird with the head of a woman.
Any of various fruit bats of the genus Nyctimene distinguished by nostrils drawn out into diverging tubes.

Origin

Ultimately from Middle French harpie, from Latin harpyia, from Ancient Greek ἅρπυιᾰ (hárpuiă, literally “snatcher”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch, seize”). Compare rapacious. Middle English had arpie.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word