Meanings
shrew1
plural shrews · alternative shrow
- Certain other small mammals that resemble true shrews.
- derogatoryAn ill-tempered, nagging woman: a scold.
“Cease thy squalling, thou shrew!”
1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 882 more examples
The clerk had, I'm afraid, a shrew of a wife—shrill, vehement, and fluent. 'Rogue,' 'old miser,' 'old sneak,' and a great many worse names, she called him.
1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the ChurchyardHis wife was a shrew with warts on her face and she spoke to him sharply when others were present, but Simcha did not complain.
1959, Mordecai Richler, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
shrew2
present singular third person shrews · participle present shrewing · participle past shrewed · past shrewed
- obsoletetransitiveTo beshrew; to curse.
I shrew myself.
1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “(please specify the story via the 'title' parameter)”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna scolding nagging bad-tempered woman
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
shrew · noun
- Norwegianskrugg“dwarf”
- Old High Germanscrawaz“dwarf”
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-“to cut; shorten; skimp”
- Proto-Germanic*skrawwaz“thin; meagre; frail”
- Old Englishsċrēawa“shrew”
- Middle Englishschrewe
- Englishshrew
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →shrew · verb
- Middle Englishschrewe
- Middle Englishschrewen“to make evil; curse”
- Englishshrew
From Middle English schrewen (“to make evil; curse”), from Middle English schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“wicked; evil; an evil person”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans skeerbekmuis, feeks
- skeerbekmuismouselike animal
- feekswoman
Ancient Greek μῡγᾰλέη
- μῡγᾰλέη (mūgăléē)mouselike animal
Arabic زَبَابَة
- زَبَابَة (zabāba)mouselike animal
Basque satitsu
- satitsumouselike animal
Bulgarian земеро́вка
- земеро́вка (zemeróvka)mouselike animal
Catalan musaranya
- musaranyamouselike animal
Chinese Mandarin 鼩鼱, 尖鼠
- 鼩鼱 (qújīng)mouselike animal
- 尖鼠 (jiānshǔ)mouselike animal
- 潑婦 /泼妇 (pōfù)woman
Czech rejsek, rachomejtle
- rejsekmouselike animal
- rachomejtlewoman
- saňwoman
- megerawoman
- xantipawoman
- semetrikawoman
Danish spidsmus, rappenskralde
- spidsmusmouselike animal
- rappenskraldewoman
Dutch spitsmuis
- spitsmuismouselike animal
Esperanto soriko, megero
- sorikomouselike animal
- megerowoman
Estonian karihiir
- karihiirmouselike animal
Finnish päästäinen, äkäpussi
- päästäinenmouselike animal
- äkäpussiwoman
French musaraigne, furie
- musaraignemouselike animal
- furiewoman
- mégèrewoman
German Spitzmaus, Megäre
- Spitzmausmouselike animal
- Megärewoman
Greek νανομυγαλίδα, μυγαλή
- νανομυγαλίδα (nanomygalída)mouselike animal
- μυγαλή (mygalí)mouselike animal
Hebrew מִרְשַׁעַת
- מִרְשַׁעַת (mirshá'at)woman
Hungarian cickány
- cickánymouselike animal
Icelandic snjáldurmús, snjáldra
- snjáldurmúsmouselike animal
- snjáldramouselike animal
Indonesian celurut
- celurutmouselike animal
Irish dallóg fhraoigh
- dallóg fhraoighmouselike animal
Italian toporagno
- toporagnomouselike animal
Japanese 尖鼠
- 尖鼠 (togarinezumi)mouselike animal
Korean 뒤쥐, 첨서
- 뒤쥐 (dwijwi)mouselike animal
- 첨서 (cheomseo)mouselike animal
Latin sōrex, mūs arāneus
- sōrexmouselike animal
- mūs arāneusmouselike animal
- mūsarāneusmouselike animal
Latvian cirslis
- cirslismouselike animal
Lithuanian kirstukas
- kirstukasmouselike animal
Norwegian kjerring
- kjerringwoman
Norwegian Bokmål spissmus
- spissmusmouselike animal
Persian موش شبگرد
- موش شبگرد (muše šabgard)mouselike animal
Polish ryjówka, zołza
- ryjówkamouselike animal
- zołzawoman
- heterawoman
- sekutnicawoman
Portuguese musaranho, megera
- musaranhomouselike animal
- megerawoman
Romanian chițcan, megeră
- chițcanmouselike animal
- megerăwoman
- scorpiewoman
Russian землеро́йка, меге́ра
- землеро́йка (zemlerójka)mouselike animal
- меге́ра (megéra)woman
- ве́дьма (védʹma)woman
Scottish Gaelic dallag-an-fhraoich, feòrlagan
- dallag-an-fhraoichmouselike animal
- feòrlaganmouselike animal
Slovak piskor, megera
- piskormouselike animal
- megerawoman
Spanish musaraña
- musarañamouselike animal
Swedish näbbmus, ragata
- näbbmusmouselike animal
- ragatawoman
- argbiggawoman
Tagalog musaranya
- musaranyamouselike animal
Tamil மூஞ்சூறு
- மூஞ்சூறு (mūñcūṟu)mouselike animal
Thai หนูผี
- หนูผี (nǔu-pǐi)mouselike animal
Turkish kir faresi, sivri fare
- kir faresimouselike animal
- sivri faremouselike animal
- cadıwoman
- şirretwoman
Ukrainian землери́йка
- землери́йка (zemlerýjka)mouselike animal
Vietnamese chuột chù
- chuột chùmouselike animal
Welsh llyg
- llygmouselike animal
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with shrew
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
shrew. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shrew
“shrew.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shrew. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shrew,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shrew.
Source: shrew on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.