释义 |
▪ 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.
1625Purchas Pilgrims I. iii. 118 (Stanf.) Their weapons halfe-Pikes, headed with Iron as a Harpon. 1697W. 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.
1694Acc. Sev. Late Voy. ii. (1711) 8 Saw a Whale, and flung into him three Harpoons. 1704Naval Chron. XII. 32 Taking whales by the Gun-harpoon. 1778Phil. Trans. LXVIII. 395 A very large shark was struck with the harpon. 1846Greener Sc. Gunnery 318 The gun projected the harpoon into the crown of the [whale's] head, burying it two feet deep. 1874Markham 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.
1876J. S. Bristowe Theory & Pract. Med. (1878) 719 The extraction by means of a suitable instrument (harpoon) of fragments of striped muscular tissue. 1897Allbutt'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.
1874Boutell Arms & Arm. vi. 92 Two curved pieces of iron, or blades (probably like small *harpoon barbs).
1820Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. II. 226 The *harpoon-gun was invented in 1731. 1874Markham Whaling Cruise 27 The harpoon gun is fixed on a swivel in the bows of the boat.
1835Sir J. Ross. Narr. 2nd Voy. xviii. 280 He brought back a hook and a *harpoon head.
1858Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Harpoon-maker.
1856Kane Arct. Expl. II. xiii. 135 A capstan-bar..invaluable for its adaptation to *harpoon⁓shafts.
1847Emerson 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.
1774Pennant Tour Scotl. in 1772, 168 A basking shark that had been harpooned. 1780Coxe Russ. Disc. 56 Sea animals which they harpoon with their bone lances. 1867Pearson Hist. Eng. I. 2 They harpooned the whale. b. transf. and fig.
1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life. (1826) ix. xxxix, Trying often to harpoon a floating pat of butter. 1872O. W. Holmes Poet Breakf.-t. iii. (1885) 67 The Master harpooned a breakfast-roll. |