Word
shrew
UK/ʃɹˈuː/
Definitions
01the animal
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Science Technical
n. a small animal that looks like a mouse but has a longer, pointed nose and eats insects.
n. any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly nocturnal mammals of the family Soricidae, characterized by a long pointed snout and small eyes.
“The garden shrew is tiny and moves very quickly through the grass.”
“Unlike rodents, the shrew has a high metabolic rate and must consume nearly its own body weight in insects every day to survive.”
02a nagging woman
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary · Archaic
n. an old-fashioned and mean word for a woman who is always complaining or arguing.
n. a derogatory term for an ill-tempered, nagging, or aggressive woman. Often encountered in historical literature.
“In the old play, the main character is described as a shrew who refuses to marry.”
“Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' explores the social dynamics of a headstrong woman whose behavior is deemed unacceptable by her peers.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Humans turn to heated blankets and fluffy socks to cope with winter, but long-clawed shrews have a very different adaptation: they increase the size of their snouts.” “Researchers found that indigo light completely prevented myopia in tree shrews, whose eyes share important similarities with human eyes.” Etymology
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”).
From Middle English schrewen (“to make evil; curse”), from Middle English schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“wicked; evil; an evil person”), from Old English *scrēawa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Perhaps ultimately from the same word as Etymology 1 above.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C2 ProficiencyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.8.5–9.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 6.0114–120
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C2 · Proficiency
- Updated
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