English Explanatory Dictionary

shrew

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae.
  2. Certain other small mammals that resemble true shrews.
  3. An ill-tempered, nagging woman: a scold.
verb
  1. To beshrew; to curse.

Pronunciation

shro͞o shrū /ʃɹuː/ /ʃɹɪu̯/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shrew.wav

Word forms

shrew shrews shrow shrewing shrewed

Etymology

From Middle English *schrewe, from Old English sċrēawa (“shrew”), from Proto-Germanic *skrawwaz (“thin; meagre; frail”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut; shorten; skimp”). Cognates include Old High German scrawaz (“dwarf”), Norwegian skrugg (“dwarf”).

Synonyms

battle axe bitch brim brimstone cat crow dragon faggot fishwife harpy harridan hellcat jade nag nudnik scold she-devil shrew termagant virago vixen witch ranny soricid

Related words

banshee blowsabella fury hothead hotspur hoyden spitfire

Derived words

armored shrew Bendire's shrew common shrew elephant shrew Elliot's short-tailed shrew erd shrew Etruscan shrew hardishrew hero shrew Himalayan shrew house shrew Jesus shrew jumping shrew marsh shrew marsupial shrew McCarthy's shrew mole shrew musk shrew Nelson's small-eared shrew northern tree shrew ornate shrew otter shrew Pearson's long-clawed shrew red-toothed shrew Sado shrew Saint Lawrence Island shrew shrewd shrewdom shrew-faced squirrel shrewish shrewlike shrewly shrew mole shrewmouse shrew opossum shrew possum shrew-run Sierra shrew slender shrew Tate's shrew rat tree shrew tree-shrew treeshrew true shrew tule shrew water shrew West Indies shrew
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on S Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary