World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesShrew
/ʃruː/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A small, mouse-like mammal with a long snout, feeding chiefly on insects and typically living in damp places or underground.
"A tiny shrew darted quickly across the damp woodland floor." - 2
A bad-tempered or aggressively assertive person, traditionally used of a woman.
"He feared his neighbor was a notorious shrew who constantly complained about everything."
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from Middle English 'shrewe', from Old English 'scrēawa' (referring to a shrewmouse), which is of uncertain ultimate origin. Historically, it also developed a secondary sense referring to a scolding, quarrelsome person, particularly a woman, which was famously employed in Shakespeare's play 'The Taming of the Shrew'.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Shrew"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Shrew" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
musaraigne
Transliteration: /my.za.ʁɛɲ/
"La musaraigne est un très petit mammifère insectivore."
Spitzmaus
Transliteration: /ˈʃpɪt͡sˌmaʊ̯s/
"Eine Spitzmaus sucht im Laub nach Insekten."
toporagno
Transliteration: /topoˈraɲɲo/
"Il toporagno vive nascosto nel sottobosco."
musaraña
Transliteration: /musaˈɾaɲa/
"La musaraña se alimenta principalmente de insectos."
musaranho
Transliteration: /muzaˈɾɐ̃ɲu/
"O musaranho é um pequeno mamífero voraz."
छछूंदर
Transliteration: chhachhūndar
"छछूंदर दिखने में चूहे जैसी लगती है।"
鼩鼱
Transliteration: qú jīng
"鼩鼱是一种小型哺乳动物。"
뒤쥐
Transliteration: dwijwi
"뒤쥐는 곤충을 주로 먹는 작은 포유동물이다."
トガリネズミ
Transliteration: togarinezumi
"トガリネズミは昆虫を食べる小さな動物です。"
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