harpy
Other forms: harpies
A harpy is a mean, foul-tempered woman. You might quietly refer to your cranky math teacher as a harpy.
The word harpy is a derogatory term for a very unpleasant female person. It is often considered offensive to call someone a harpy, in part because it singles out a nasty woman, when a man with similar characteristics might simply be "loud" or "opinionated" or "overbearing." The word comes from Greek mythology, in which a harpy was a food-stealing creature with a woman's head and the body of a bird.
Definitions of harpy
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any of various fruit bats of the genus Nyctimene distinguished by nostrils drawn out into diverging tubes
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synonyms:
harpy bat, tube-nosed bat, tube-nosed fruit bat
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large black-and-white crested eagle of tropical America
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synonyms:
Harpia harpyja, harpy eagle
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type of:
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bird of Jove, eagle
any of various large keen-sighted diurnal birds of prey noted for their broad wings and strong soaring flight
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bird of Jove, eagle
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a malicious woman with a fierce temper
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type of:
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disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman
a woman who is an unpleasant person
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disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman
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