termagant(n = noun.person) shrew - a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman;
is a kind of disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman
has particulars: virago, yenta
1. An imaginary being supposed by the Christians to be a Moslem deity or false god. He is represented in the ancient moralities, farces, and puppet shows as extremely vociferous and tumultous. [1913 Webster]
"The lesser part on Christ believed well,
On Termagant the more, and on Mahound." [1913 Webster]
2. A boisterous, brawling, turbulent person; -- formerly applied to both sexes, now only to women. [1913 Webster]
"This terrible termagant, this Nero, this Pharaoh." [1913 Webster]
"The slave of an imperious and reckless termagant." [1913 Webster]
Tumultuous; turbulent; boisterous; furious; quarrelsome; scolding. [1913 Webster]
"A termagant, imperious, prodigal, profligate wench." [1913 Webster]
termagant, n. & adj.
--n.
1 an overbearing or brawling woman; a virago or shrew.
2 (Termagant) hist. an imaginary deity of violent and turbulent character, often appearing in morality plays.
--adj. violent, turbulent, shrewish.
Etymology:
ME Tervagant f. OF Tervagan f. It. Trivigante
N irascibility, irascibleness, temper, crossness, susceptibility, procacity, petulance, irritability, tartness, acerbity, protervity, pugnacity, excitability, bad temper, fiery temper, crooked temper, irritable, temper, genus irritabile, hot blood, ill humor, asperity, churlishness, huff, a word and a blow, Sir Fretful Plagiary, brabbler, Tartar, shrew, vixen, virago, termagant, dragon, scold, Xantippe, porcupine, spitfire, fire eater, fury, irascible, bad-tempered, ill-tempered, irritable, susceptible, excitable, thin-skinned, fretful, fidgety, on the fret, hasty, overhasty, quick, warm, hot, testy, touchy, techy, tetchy, like touchwood, like tinder, huffy, pettish, petulant, waspish, snappish, peppery, fiery, passionate, choleric, shrewish, sudden and quick in quarrel, querulous, captious, moodish, quarrelsome, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, cantankerous, exceptious, restiff, churlish, cross, cross as crabs, cross as two sticks, cross as a cat, cross as a dog, cross as the tongs, fractious, peevish, acari=atre, in a bad temper, sulky, angry, resentful, resentive, vindictive, Int, pish!, a vieux comptes nouvelles disputes, quamvis tegatur proditur vultu furor, vino tortus et ira.