shrewd
- 01 C2 Proficiency
describing a cold wind or a sharp pain that feels very strong.
describing weather or physical sensations that are sharp, piercing, or severe.
Simple“A shrewd wind blew across the open fields, making everyone shiver.”
In context“The hikers struggled against a shrewd mountain breeze that seemed to cut through their thickest layers of clothing.”
UsageUsually describes wind, cold, or physical pain.
“Based on the available evidence , she appears to have been a shrewd businesswoman who opened her bathhouse to customers.”
From Middle English schrewed (“depraved; wicked”, literally “accursed”), from schrewen (“to curse; beshrew”), from schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“evil or wicked person/thing”), from Old English sċrēawa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Equivalent to shrew + -ed. More at shrew. The sense of "cunning" developed in early 16ᵗʰ c., gradually gaining a positive connotation by 17ᵗʰ c.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.