Definition of Shrew

a.1.Wicked; malicious.
n.1.Originally, a brawling, turbulent, vexatious person of either sex, but now restricted in use to females; a brawler; a scold.
A man . . . grudgeth that shrews [i. e., bad men] have prosperity, or else that good men have adversity.
- Chaucer.
A man had got a shrew to his wife, and there could be no quiet in the house for her.
- L'Estrange.
2.(Zool.) Any small insectivore of the genus Sorex and several allied genera of the family Sorecidæ. In form and color they resemble mice, but they have a longer and more pointed nose. Some of them are the smallest of all mammals.
Earth shrew
any shrewlike burrowing animal of the family Centetidæ, as the tendrac.
Elephant shrew
See under Elephant, Jumping, etc.
Musk shrew
See Desman.
River shrew
an aquatic West African insectivore (Potamogale velox) resembling a weasel in form and size, but having a large flattened and crested tail adapted for rapid swimming. It feeds on fishes.
Shrew mole
a common large North American mole (Scalops aquaticus). Its fine, soft fur is gray with iridescent purple tints.
v. t.1.To beshrew; to curse.


Related Words

Chiroptera, Lagomorpha, Primates, Rodentia, Xanthippe, amazon, banshee, battle-ax, beldam, bitch, cat, common scold, crone, dragon, fishwife, fury, hag, harpy, harridan, nag, ogress, scold, she-devil, she-wolf, spitfire, termagant, tigress, virago, vixen, witch

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