noun, masculine/aʁ.pa.ɡɔ̃/plural: harpagons
a very miserly and selfish person
Synonyms: avare
Related: harpagonnerie
Named after Harpagon, the protagonist of Molière's The Miser (1668), whose name is an adaptation of Latin harpagō, gen. harpagōnis (“grappling hook, grappling iron”), from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”), of uncertain origin, and whence also harpon (“harpoon”).