shrew
Meaning
-
- Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae (order Soricomorpha).
- Certain other small mammals that resemble true shrews.
- An ill-tempered, nagging woman: a scold.
Synonyms
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ʃɹuː/
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”).
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Notes
