termagant

[ tur-muh-guhnt ]
See synonyms for: termaganttermagants on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a violent, turbulent, or brawling woman.

  2. (initial capital letter) a mythical deity popularly believed in the Middle Ages to be worshiped by the Muslims and introduced into the morality play as a violent, overbearing personage in long robes.

adjective
  1. violent; turbulent; brawling; shrewish.

Origin of termagant

1
1175–1225; Middle English Termagaunt, earlier Tervagaunt, alteration of Old French Tervagan name of the imaginary deity

Other words for termagant

Other words from termagant

  • ter·ma·gant·ly, adverb

Words Nearby termagant

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How to use termagant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for termagant

termagant

/ (ˈtɜːməɡənt) /


noun
    • a shrewish woman; scold

    • (as modifier): a termagant woman

Origin of termagant

1
C13: from earlier Tervagaunt, from Old French Tervagan, from Italian Trivigante; after an arrogant character in medieval mystery plays who was supposed to be a Muslim deity

Derived forms of termagant

  • termagancy, noun
  • termagantly, adverb

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