Harpoon
Harpoon (har*pon") , noun
[French harpon, Late Latin harpo, perh. of German origin, from the harp; compare French harper to take and grasp strongly, harpe a dog's claw, harpin boathook (the sense of hook coming from the shape of the harp); but compare also Greek "a`rph the kite, sickle, and English harpy. Compare Harp.]
A spear or javelin used to strike and kill large fish, as whales; a harping iron. It consists of a long shank, with a broad, flat, triangular head, sharpened at both edges, and is thrown by hand, or discharged from a gun.
Collocations (2)
Harpoon fork , a kind of hayfork, consisting of a bar with hinged barbs at one end and a loop for a rope at the other end, used for lifting hay from the load by horse power.
Harpoon gun , a gun used in the whale fishery for shooting the harpoon into a whale.
Harpoon (-pond") , transitive verb
To strike, catch, or kill with a harpoon.