Word Meanings - HARPOON - Book Publishers vocabulary database

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, fiat, triangular head, sharpened at both edges, and is thrown by hand, or discharged from a gun. Harpoon fork, a kind of

Additional info about word: HARPOON

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, fiat, triangular head, sharpened at both edges, and is thrown by hand, or discharged from a gun. Harpoon fork, a kind of hayfork, consisting of bar with hinged barbs at one end 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. (more info) the harp; cf. F. harper to take and grasp strongly, harpe a dog's claw, harpin boathook (the sense of hook coming from the shape of the

Related words: (words related to HARPOON)

• HARPAGON
  A grappling iron.
• BROADSWORD
  A sword with a broad blade and a cutting edge; a claymore. I heard the broadsword's deadly clang. Sir W. Scott.
• BROADBILL
  A wild duck , which appears in large numbers on the eastern coast of the United States, in autumn; - - called also bluebill, blackhead, raft duck, and scaup duck. See Scaup duck.
• SHANKBEER
  See SCHENKBEER
• BROADLY
  In a broad manner.
• BROAD
  Characterized by breadth. See Breadth. 9. Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke; broad humor. 10. Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent. Note: Broad is often used in compounds to signify wide, large, etc.;
• BROADCLOTH
  A fine smooth-faced woolen cloth for men's garments, usually of double width ; -- so called in distinction from woolens three quarters of a yard wide.
• BROAD-BRIMMED
  Having a broad brim. A broad-brimmed flat silver plate. Tatler.
• TRIANGULAR
  Oblong or elongated, and having three lateral angles; as, a triangular seed, leaf, or stem. Triangular compasses, compasses with three legs for taking off the angular points of a triangle, or any three points at the same time. -- Triangular crab
• SPEARMAN
  One who is armed with a spear. Acts xxiii. 23.
• BROAD CHURCH
  A portion of the Church of England, consisting of persons who claim to hold a position, in respect to doctrine and fellowship, intermediate between the High Church party and the Low Church, or evangelical, party. The term has been applied
• BROADBRIM
  1. A hat with a very broad brim, like those worn by men of the society of Friends. 2. A member of the society of Friends; a Quaker.
• JAVELIN
  A sort of light spear, to be thrown or cast by thew hand; anciently, a weapon of war used by horsemen and foot soldiers; now used chiefly in hunting the wild boar and other fierce game. Flies the javelin swifter to its mark, Launched by the vigor
• BROAD-HORNED
  Having horns spreading widely.
• SHANK
  See CHANK
• SHANKED
  Having a shank.
• HARPING
  Pertaining to the harp; as, harping symphonies. Milton.
• STRIKE
  Strucken ; p. pr. & vb. n. Striking. Struck is more commonly proceed, flow, AS. strican to go, proceed, akin to D. strijken to rub, stroke, strike, to move, go, G. streichen, OHG. strihhan, L. stringere to touch lightly, to graze, to strip off
• SPEARHEAD
  The pointed head, or end, of a spear.
• BROADWISE
  Breadthwise.
• CAT-HARPING
  One of the short ropes or iron cramps used to brace in the shrouds toward the masts so a to give freer sweep to the yards.
• SHARPLY
  In a sharp manner,; keenly; acutely. They are more sharply to be chastised and reformed than the rude Irish. Spenser. The soldiers were sharply assailed with wants. Hayward. You contract your eye when you would see sharply. Bacon.
• SPINDLESHANKS
  A person with slender shanks, or legs; -- used humorously or in contempt.
• SHARPER
  A person who bargains closely, especially, one who cheats in bargains; a swinder; also, a cheating gamester. Sharpers, as pikes, prey upon their own kind. L'Estrange. Syn. -- Swindler; cheat; deceiver; trickster; rogue. See Swindler.
• ENLARGEMENT
  1. The act of increasing in size or bulk, real or apparent; the state of being increased; augmentation; further extension; expansion. 2. Expansion or extension, as of the powers of the mind; ennoblement, as of the feelings and character; as, an
• CHARPIE
  Straight threads obtained by unraveling old linen cloth; -- used for surgical dressings.
• FOOL-LARGESSE
  Foolish expenditure; waste. Chaucer.
• JEW'S-HARP
  The shackle for joining a chain cable to an anchor. (more info) which, when placed between the teeth, gives, by means of a bent metal tongue struck by the finger, a sound which is modulated by the breath; -- called also Jew's-trump.
• SHARPIE
  A long, sharp, flat-bottomed boat, with one or two masts carrying a triangular sail. They are often called Fair Haven sharpies, after the place on the coast of Connecticut where they originated.