harpoon
noun
[ hɑːˈpuːn ]
• a barbed missile resembling a spear that is attached to a long rope and thrown by hand or fired from a gun, used for catching whales and other large sea creatures.
harpoon
verb
• spear with a harpoon.
• "Gilbert's father harpooned a five-metre basking shark"
Origin:
early 17th century (denoting a barbed dart or spear): from French harpon, from harpe ‘dog's claw, clamp’, via Latin from Greek harpē ‘sickle’.
