harpago-, harpag-; harpacto-, harpact-; harpaxo-, harpax-

(Latin: seize, snatch, plunder; grappling hook, drag; seizure, robbery, rapine, booty; ravish)

harpacticid
1. One of the family Harpacticidae, tiny copepod crustacea.
2. A tiny crustacean that lives among plankton and is an important food source for many fish. It is native to oceans and lakes. Subclass: Copepoda.

Copepods are minute free-living, freshwater and marine crustaceans (shell-covered); usually having six pairs of limbs on the thorax. Some are abundant in plankton and others parasitic on fish.

harpacticoid
One of the order Harpacticoida, very small worm-like copepod crustacea.
Harpacticoida
A diverse order of typically free-living copepod crustaceans which are mainly epibenthic, burrowing or interstitial forms, occasionally planktonic or parasitic; characterized by the fusion of the inner branch (endopod) of the fifth leg to its base; feeding primarily on algae and a variety of microorganisms. It contains about 3,000 species from both marine and freshwater habitats.
harpactophagous, harpactophage, harpactophagy
Feeding by preying on other animals; predatory, used especially with reference to insects.

From Greek harpago-, harpag-, meaning “a hook for seizing; a robbery, rape, seizure, plunder”.

harpago
A portion of the clasper on the copulatory organ of certain male insects.
Harpagomyia splendens
A mosquito.
harpagon
1. A grappling-hook.
2. A grapnel or harpoon.

A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or other large aquatic animals such as whales. A harpoon can also be used as a weapon.

Harpagophytum
A genus of herbs native to southern Africa, including H. procum´bens, the devil's claw, which is used medicinally.
Harpagornis (s) (noun) (no pl)
A genus of extinct birds: The Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei) in the genus Harpagornis was a massive eagle that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand and is now extinct.

After the extinction of the teratorns, the Haast's Eagle was the largest bird of prey in the world.

Teratorns were very large birds of prey that lived in North and South America from the Miocene to the Pleistocene periods. They were close relatives of modern condors.

harpaxophobia (s) (noun) (no plural)
1. A morbid fear of robbers or thieves or of being attacked by a robber or a thief: Such a harpaxophobia motivates many to have elaborate burglar-alarm systems at their homes and businesses and several locks on their doors.

2. Etymologically from Greek, harpazo, harpax, "seize, snatch, plunder, rapacious; robbery".
harpy (s) (noun), harpies (pl)
1. In Greek mythology, one of several loathsome, voracious monsters with the head and trunk of a woman and the tail, wings, and talons of a bird: Jeanette read a story about a hideous, cruel, and filthy harpy which flew swiftly and was very greedy and ravenous.
2. A greedy, predatory person who takes advantage of other people: Greg experienced a harpy who tried to take advantage of him when he tried to borrow money from a local bank.
3. A shrewish woman: Mrs. Snow, the math teacher, was known to be a harpy among her students because she was very unpleasant, distressing and had a fierce temper.
4. A malicious, scolding, nagging, fierce-tempered woman; a woman of violent temper and speech: Mary's nextdoor neighbor, who wasn't married and didn't have any children, was certainly a harpy because she always found fault with Mary's children, was spiteful, hateful, and threatening.
5. Any of various fruit bats of the genus Nyctimene, also known as a tube-nosed bat or a tube-nosed fruit bat: Jane found out in her biology book that harpies were from the tropics, quite large and had nostrils which were prolonged into diverging hollow cylindrical structures.
6. A large black-and-white crested eagle of tropical America; also, Harpia harpyja: The harpy Janet saw in the zoo was short-winged, had a double crest and its claws and bill were extremely powerful.
A swindler who extorts from others.
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