different between termagant vs harpy

English

Alternative forms

• termigant

Etymology

From Termagant.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?t??m???nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?t?m???nt/

Noun

termagant (plural termagants)

1. A quarrelsome, scolding woman, especially one who is old and shrewish.
   • 1663, Hudibras, by Samuel Butler, part 1, canto 2

     [...] Make feeble ladies, in their works, / To fight like termagants and Turks; [...]
2. (obsolete) A boisterous, brawling, turbulent person, whether male or female.
   • 1903, [unknown translator], Monsieur Lecoq (originally by Émile Gaboriau)

     At first the General tried to impose silence upon the terrible termagant: but he soon discovered that he was powerless

   • 1980, Bernard MacLaverty, 'Lamb' (novel), (Chapter 6, at page 50 in the 1981 King Penguin paperback edition):

     "Mrs Kane has been filling us in on some background information on Owen." The woman nodded, drumming her nicotined fingers. "And I have been assuring her that the boys who arrive here thimbleriggers and termagants are the least of our worries. But we do not send them out that way. Do we, Brother?"

Synonyms

• (quarrelsome woman): See Thesaurus:shrew

Translations

Adjective

termagant (comparative more termagant, superlative most termagant)

1. Quarrelsome and scolding or censorious; shrewish.

Anagrams

• target man

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Middle French harpie, from Latin harpyia, from Ancient Greek ?????? (Hárpuia, literally “snatcher”), from ?????? (harpáz?, “I snatch, seize”). Compare rapacious. Middle English had arpie.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h??pi/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??pi/
• Rhymes: -??(r)pi
• Hyphenation: har?py

Noun

harpy (plural harpies)

1. A mythological creature generally depicted as a bird-of-prey with the head of maiden, a face pale with hunger and long claws on hers hands personifying the destructive power of storm winds.
2. A shrewish woman.
3. One who is rapacious or ravenous; an extortioner.
   • c. 1772, Oliver Goldsmith, letter to Mrs. Bunbury

     The harpies about me all pocket the pool.

4. The European moor buzzard or marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus).
5. A large and powerful double-crested, short-winged American eagle (Harpia harpyja).

Synonyms

• (shrewish woman): See Thesaurus:shrew

Derived terms

• harpy bat
• harpy fly
• harpy eagle

Translations

See also

• harridan

Turkmen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?h?rp?/

Noun

harpy

1. definite accusative of harp