harpoon

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
harpoon
    n 1: a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used
         for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is
         attached to it
    v 1: spear with a harpoon; "harpoon whales"
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Harpoon \Har*poon"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Harpooned}
   (-p[=oo]nd"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Harpooning}.]
   To strike, catch, or kill with a harpoon.
   [1913 Webster]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Harpoon \Har*poon"\ (h[aum]r*p[=oo]n"), n. [F. harpon, LL.
   harpo, perh. of Ger. origin, fr. 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 harp); but
   cf. also Gr. "a`rph the kite, sickle, and E. harpy. Cf.
   {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.
   [1913 Webster]

   {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.
      [1913 Webster]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
24 Moby Thesaurus words for "harpoon":
      bag, catch, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, foul, hook, land,
      lasso, mesh, nail, net, noose, rope, sack, snag, snare, sniggle,
      spear, take, tangle, tangle up with, trap

    

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