| 释义 |
shrew
I. \ˈshrü, esp South ˈsrü, dial ˈswü\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English shrewe evil person, scolding person, scolding woman, from Old English scrēawa shrew (small mammal)
1. : any of numerous small mouselike chiefly nocturnal mammals of the family Soricidae which are most closely related to the moles, have a long pointed snout, very small eyes, and velvety fur, feed mainly on worms and insects, and of which most United States forms belong in two genera (Sorex and Blarina) — see elephant shrew, long-tailed shrew, short-tailed shrew, tree shrew, water shrew
2. obsolete : a wicked or evil person : scoundrel
3. : a vexatious, scolding, or brawling woman : scold, termagant
< a shrew, a woman with the temper of a fiend — C.S.Forester >
< shrew berating her unemployed husband for not supporting her — John McCarten >
— often opposed to sheep
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Middle English shrewen, from shrewe, n.
1. obsolete : curse
< shrew me if I would lose it — Shakespeare >
2. : to treat with shrewish abuse
< a wicked woman to shrew his splendid features out of shape — Randall Jarrell > |