shrew

views updated May 17 2018

shrew / shroō/ • n. a small mouselike insectivorous mammal (Sorex, Crocidura, and other genra, family Soricidae) with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes. ∎  a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.DERIVATIVES: shrew·ish adj.shrew·ish·ly adv.shrew·ish·ness n.

shrew

views updated Jun 27 2018

shrew the shrew was popularly believed to be dangerous, and especially venomous. The name is recorded in Old English (in form scrēawa, scrǣwa, of Germanic origin); related words in Germanic languages have senses such as ‘dwarf’, ‘devil’, or ‘fox’.

From the Middle English period, shrew, with regard to the animal's reputation, was used to designate a malignant or vexatious person, and from this developed the particular sense of a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman.

shrew

views updated May 18 2018

shrew1 mammal of the genus Sorex, formerly held to be venomous. OE. sċrēawa, sċræwa, rel. to OHG. scrawaz dwarf, MHG. schrawaz devil, Icel. skrǫggr old man, Norw. skrugg dwarf. Comp. shrewmouse XVI.

shrew

views updated May 23 2018

shrew2 †malignant man XIII; person (now, woman) given to railing XIV. perh. transf. use of prec., but poss. spec. application of a word meaning ‘ill-disposed being’.
Hence shrewish †wicked XIV; ill-natured, given to scolding XVI.

shrew

views updated May 29 2018

shrew Smallest mammal, found throughout the world. It is an active, voracious insectivore that eats more than its own weight daily. Family Soricidae.