ˈhärpē, ˈhȧp-, -pi noun
( -es )
Etymology: Latin Harpyia, from Greek
1. : a predatory monster in chiefly classical mythology represented as having a woman's head and the body and claws of a vulture and as being an instrument of divine vengeance
2.
a. : a predatory person : leech , swindler
homesteaders had managed to escape other harpies — such as land agents offering to hurry claims through — Dixon Wecter
b. : a shrewish or depraved woman
gin shops … crowded by day as well as by night with screaming harpies — Kenneth Roberts