Etymologically
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harpon

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /aʁ.pɔ̃/[1]

Forms

harpon m (plural harpons)[1] Anglo-Norman harpun (12th century), herpon (1474), harpon; the h is aspirated.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is derived from the old verb harper (“to grip, seize”) (12th–18th century) with the suffix “-on”.[3][5][4][6] Because the family appears late, in the west, with an aspirated “h”, Bloch and Wartburg and the Petit Robert take the verb from Old Norse harpa (“cramp, twisting”) (in “munn-harpa” “twisting of the mouth”), overlaid on Latin harpē (“sickle; falcon”), from Greek “harpē”, which survives in southern “arpa” “claw”, Rey also mentions a Germanic “*harpan” “to seize”.[7][8][5] Wiktionary takes “harpon” from Latin “harpaga”, a variant of “harpagō” “grappling hook”, from Greek “harpágē”.[1] Compare Spanish arpón and Portuguese arpão.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Anglo-Norman Vers del Juise (about 1130) has it for a clasp of jewellery;[3][5] the word is rare until the 15th century.[5][7]

Semantic evolution

In 1474 (herpon) it was a bent metal cramp joining two pieces of masonry, and in 1516 an arrow-shaped weapon for catching large fish and whales, the sense still alive (pêche au harpon, fusil à harpon).[3][5][8] It was also a grappling hook for boarding an enemy ship (Cotgrave, 1611, Fournier, 1643), a barbed prehistoric weapon of bone or antler (mid-19th century) and a firemen's grappling hook (20th century).[5][2] Harponner and harponneur date from 1613, Balzac (1830) used harponner for “to grab”, and, from 1883 it meant “to buttonhole”.[5][7]

Timeline

  • c. 1130 – A clasp, in the Vers del Juise.[3]
  • 1474 – Herpon “metal cramp”.[3]
  • 1516 – A whaling harpoon.[3]
  • 1611 – A grappling hook, in Cotgrave.[2]
  • 1613 – Harponner, harponneur.[7]
  • Mid-19th century – A prehistoric harpoon.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A harpoon: pêche au harpon, fusil à harpon.[8][1]
  2. (archaeology) A barbed prehistoric harpoon.[2][5]
  3. (building) A metal cramp joining masonry.[8][3]
  4. (historical) A grappling hook for boarding.[8][2]

Word family

  • harponner
  • harponneur
  • harponner
  • harponneur
  • harponnage
  • harper
  • harpagon

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  8. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert