Xanthippe

Meaning

An ill-tempered woman.

Synonyms

shrew

vixen

Translations

Xanthippe

Santippe

megera

feeks

furie

haaibaai

helleveeg

megera

tang

wijf

👩

xantippe

Xanthippe

Xântipe

Xanthippe

Pronounced as (IPA)

/zænˈθɪpi/

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Xanthippē or its etymon Ancient Greek Ξανθίππη (Xanthíppē), the name of Socrates’ wife, from ξανθός (xanthós, “blond; golden, yellow”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱas- (“blond; grey; white”)) + ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eḱ- (“horse; swift (?)”)). She is described as shrewish in Xenophon’s Symposium, though the same work states that Socrates chose her precisely because of her argumentative spirit. In Xenophon’s Memorabilia and Phaedo by Plato she is depicted as a devoted wife and mother.