harpoon

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in hunting whales and large fish.
2. v. To strike, kill, or capture with or as if with a spearlike weapon.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A missile weapon used in capturing whales and large fish, and either thrown by hand or fired from a gun. See harpoon-gun. In the older form of this weapon the head is a heavy, flat, triangular piece of iron with strong barbs, sharpened on the outer edges to enable it to penetrate deeply, and fastened to a handle or shank, 2½ or 3 feet long, to which is attached a long cord or rope. In a later form the head has but one barb. The common non-explosive harpoon is not employed by whalemen to kill the whale, but merely to fasten it to the boat, in order that the latter may be hauled up alongside the animal, which is then killed by a lance. (See exploding harpoon, below.) The harpoons that are to be first used are carried at the head of the whale-boat, six being included in the outfit of a boat. The first two are known as the first and second irons; the rest as the spare harpoons, one of which is the drag-iron. The first harpoon is darted into the whale by hand, and the second follows if there is time; if not, it is thrown overboard to prevent fouling with the outgoing line. See toggle-iron.
2. To strike, catch, or kill with a harpoon.

Wiktionary

1. n. A spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in hunting whales and large fish.
2. n. Slang for harmonica.
3. v. To hunt something with a harpoon.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A spear or javelin used to strike and kill large fish, as whales; a harping iron. It consists of a long shank, with a broad, flat, triangular head, sharpened at both edges, and is thrown by hand, or discharged from a gun.
2. v. To strike, catch, or kill with a harpoon.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. spear with a harpoon
2. n. a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is attached to it