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termagant

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noun ter·ma·gant \ ˈtər-mə-gənt \
Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of termagant

1 capitalized :a deity erroneously ascribed to Islam by medieval European Christians and represented in early English drama as a violent character
2 :an overbearing or nagging woman :shrew

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Origin and Etymology of termagant

Middle English

termagant Synonyms

Synonyms
battle-ax (or battle-axe), dragon lady, fury, harpy, harridan, shrew, virago, vixen
Related Words
fishwife, gorgon; carper, castigator, caviler (or caviller), censurer, critic, faultfinder, nitpicker, railer, scold; belittler, derider, detractor; pettifogger, quibbler

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

2

termagant

adjective

Definition of termagant

:overbearing, shrewish

First Known Use of termagant

1546

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