▪ I. harpoon, n.
(hɑːˈpuːn)
Also 7–8 harpon.
[ad. F. harpon ‘a crampiron wherewith Masons fasten stones together’ (Cotgr., 1611) = Sp. arpon, Pg. arpão, deriv. of F. harpe dog's claw, cramp, cramp-iron, clamp (1485 in Hatz.-Darm.), ad. L. harpē (harpa) = Gr. ἅρπη sickle, scimitar. Cf. the earlier harping-iron.]
† 1. A barbed dart or spear. Obs.
| 1625 Purchas Pilgrims I. iii. 118 (Stanf.) Their weapons halfe-Pikes, headed with Iron as a Harpon. 1697 W. Dampier Voy. (1729) I. 7 Throwing the Lance, Fisgig, Harpoon, or any manner of Dart. Ibid. 10 The women..prevent them from doing any injury to each other by hiding their Lances, Harpoons, Bows and Arrows. |
2. a. A barbed spear-like missile, to the handle or shank of which a long line of rope is attached; it is used for capturing whales and large fish, being either hurled by the hand or fired from a gun.
| 1694 Acc. Sev. Late Voy. ii. (1711) 8 Saw a Whale, and flung into him three Harpoons. 1704 Naval Chron. XII. 32 Taking whales by the Gun-harpoon. 1778 Phil. Trans. LXVIII. 395 A very large shark was struck with the harpon. 1846 Greener Sc. Gunnery 318 The gun projected the harpoon into the crown of the [whale's] head, burying it two feet deep. 1874 Markham Whaling Cruise 26 The manner in which the harpoons are fitted is first with about twelve fathoms for a gun harpoon, and three for a hand harpoon, of the best white untarred hemp rope [etc.]. |
b. Med. A trocar-like surgical instrument for removing small pieces of living tissue of examination.
| 1876 J. S. Bristowe Theory & Pract. Med. (1878) 719 The extraction by means of a suitable instrument (harpoon) of fragments of striped muscular tissue. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. II. 1057 The harpoon designed..for this purpose produces an unsurgical wound. |
3. attrib. and
Comb., as
harpoon-arrow,
harpoon-barb,
harpoon-head,
harpoon-maker,
harpoon-shaft;
harpoon-fork, a kind of hay-fork worked by tackle in loading or unloading hay;
harpoon-gun, a gun for firing a harpoon;
harpoon-rocket, a bomb-lance for killing whales;
harpoon-shuttle, a long shuttle or needle used for sewing mats for hydraulic dikes and jetties.
| 1874 Boutell Arms & Arm. vi. 92 Two curved pieces of iron, or blades (probably like small *harpoon barbs). |
| 1820 Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. II. 226 The *harpoon-gun was invented in 1731. 1874 Markham Whaling Cruise 27 The harpoon gun is fixed on a swivel in the bows of the boat. |
| 1835 Sir J. Ross. Narr. 2nd Voy. xviii. 280 He brought back a hook and a *harpoon head. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Harpoon-maker. |
| 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. xiii. 135 A capstan-bar..invaluable for its adaptation to *harpoon⁓shafts. |
| 1847 Emerson Repr. Men, Goethe Wks. (Bohn) I. 389 He stripped him [the Devil]..of horns, cloven foot, *harpoon tail. |
▪ II. harˈpoon, v. [f. prec. n.: cf. F. harponner (1634 in Hatz.-Darm.).] trans. To strike or spear with a harpoon.
| 1774 Pennant Tour Scotl. in 1772, 168 A basking shark that had been harpooned. 1780 Coxe Russ. Disc. 56 Sea animals which they harpoon with their bone lances. 1867 Pearson Hist. Eng. I. 2 They harpooned the whale. |
b. transf. and
fig.| 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life. (1826) ix. xxxix, Trying often to harpoon a floating pat of butter. 1872 O. W. Holmes Poet Breakf.-t. iii. (1885) 67 The Master harpooned a breakfast-roll. |