How Do You Spell HARPAGON?

Pronunciation: [hˈɑːpəɡən] (IPA)

Harpagon is a French word that refers to a character in Moliere's play "The Miser". It is pronounced /aʁ.pa.ɡɔ̃/ in French, with the "h" being silent as is common in French. The "r" in "harpagon" is pronounced in a distinctive way, with the back of the tongue being drawn up towards the soft palate. The "a" in the first syllable is pronounced as in "car", while the "o" in the second syllable is pronounced similarly to "own". Overall, the spelling of "harpagon" reflects the unique sounds of the French language.

HARPAGON Meaning and Definition

1. Harpagon, derived from the French play "L'Avare" by Molière, is a fictional character representing extreme greed and miserliness. In the play, Harpagon is the central character who obsessively hoards and protects his wealth at any cost. His insatiable desire for money consumes him, making him relentlessly obsessed with increasing his riches and suspicious of those around him.

   Harpagon's character embodies avarice to its extreme, reflecting an individual who places an excessive value on material possessions and wealth, even at the expense of personal relationships and happiness. His actions are driven solely by his desire for financial gain, as he greedily scorns generosity and frugally counts every penny he owns.

   Being a Harpagon can be seen as a negative characteristic, representing a lack of selflessness, empathy, and a narrow focus on individual financial gain. It showcases a person who is closed off from social interactions, unable to form meaningful connections due to their constant pursuit of wealth and reluctance to spend money on others or themselves.

   Outside the realm of literature, the term "Harpagon" can also be used metaphorically to describe real-life individuals who exhibit similar traits of miserliness and greed. It represents a person who is excessively stingy, willing to go to great lengths to amass wealth, showing little regard for the consequences or the well-being of others.

Common Misspellings for HARPAGON

• garpagon
• barpagon
• narpagon
• jarpagon
• uarpagon
• yarpagon
• hzrpagon
• hsrpagon
• hwrpagon
• hqrpagon
• haepagon
• hadpagon
• hafpagon
• hatpagon
• ha5pagon
• ha4pagon
• haroagon
• harlagon
• har-agon

Etymology of HARPAGON

The word "Harpagon" is derived from the character of the same name in the play "L'Avare" (The Miser) by French playwright Jean-Baptiste Molière. The play, first performed in 1668, depicts the story of Harpagon, a wealthy but extremely stingy and miserly man. The character became so iconic that the term "Harpagon" is now synonymous with a person who is excessively greedy or frugal. Therefore, the etymology of the word "Harpagon" stems directly from Molière's play and the characterization of the miserly protagonist.