harpy : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: harpy	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for harpy
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
harpy n a malicious woman with a fierce temper [syn: vixen, harpy, hellcat] (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 Synonym(s): harpy, harpy bat, tube-nosed bat, tube-nosed fruit bat large black-and-white crested eagle of tropical America Synonym(s): harpy, harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja
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[94]l.) (a) The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier ({Circus [91]ruginosus}). (b) A large and powerful, double-crested, short-winged American eagle ({Thrasa[89]tus harpyia}). It ranges from Texas to Brazil. {Harpy bat} (Zo[94]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[94]l.), the house fly.