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shrew

Pronunciation: /ʃruː/
Translate shrew | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of shrew

noun

  • 1a small mouse-like insectivorous mammal with a long pointed snout and tiny eyes.
    • Family Soricidae: many genera, in particular Sorex and Crocidura, and numerous species
  • 2a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman: the girls became shrews and harridans

Origin:

Old English scrēawa, scrǣwa, of Germanic origin; related words in Germanic languages have senses such as 'dwarf', 'devil', or 'fox'

shrew in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of shrew in the US English dictionary

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