harpagon

See also: Harpagon

English

Etymology

Adapted from Latin harpagō, gen. harpagōnis, from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of harpoon.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑː(ɹ)pəɡɒn/

Noun

harpagon (plural harpagons)

1. (obsolete) A grappling hook.

Anagrams

• agraphon

French

Etymology

Named after Harpagon, the protagonist of Molière's The Miser (1668), whose name is an adaptation of Latin harpagō, gen. harpagōnis (“grappling hook, grappling iron”), from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”), of uncertain origin, and whence also harpon (“harpoon”).

Pronunciation

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /aʁ.pa.ɡɔ̃/
• Rhymes: -ɔ̃

Noun

harpagon m (plural harpagons, feminine harpagonne)

1. a very miserly and selfish person

   Synonym: avare

Usage notes

• The feminine form is much less common than its masculine counterpart.

Derived terms

• harpagonnerie

Descendants

• → Romanian: harpagon, arpagon

Further reading

• “harpagon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Paronyms

• Arpajon
• Arpavon

Romanian

Alternative forms

• arpagon

Etymology

Borrowed from French harpagon.

Noun

harpagon m (plural harpagoni)

1. miser, a selfish person

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	harpagon	harpagonul	harpagoni	harpagonii
genitive-dative	harpagon	harpagonului	harpagoni	harpagonilor
vocative	harpagonule		harpagonilor

Turkish

Etymology

Eponymous, derived from the incredibly greedy protagonist Harpagon in Molière's play The Miser, from French Harpagon, from Latin harpago (“grappling hook”), from Ancient Greek ἅρπαξ (hárpax, “robber, rapacious”).

Noun

harpagon (definite accusative harpagonu, plural harpagonlar)

1. a very stingy or miserly person, a skinflint, a miser; a person who is morbidly fond of money and wealth

   O tam bir harpagon, kimseye bir kuruş bile koklatmaz. ― He is a complete miser, he won't let anyone get a whiff of even a single penny.