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termagantmore about termagant

termagant

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Termagant  \Ter"ma*gant\,  a. 
  Tumultuous;  turbulent;  boisterous;  furious;  quarrelsome; 
  scolding.  --  {Ter"ma*gant*ly},  adv 
 
  A  termagant,  imperious,  prodigal,  profligate  wench. 
  --Arbuthnot. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Termagant  \Ter"ma*gant\,  n.  [OE.  Trivigant  Termagant,  Termagant 
  (in  sense  1),  OF  Tervagan  cf  It  Trivigante.] 
  1.  An  imaginary  being  supposed  by  the  Christians  to  be  a 
  Mohammedan  deity  or  false  god.  He  is  represented  in  the 
  ancient  moralities,  farces,  and  puppet  shows  as  extremely 
  vociferous  and  tumultous.  [Obs.]  --Chaucer.  ``And 
  oftentimes  by  Termagant  and  Mahound  [Mahomet]  swore.'' 
  --Spenser. 
 
  The  lesser  part  on  Christ  believed  well  On 
  Termagant  the  more  and  on  Mahound.  --Fairfax. 
 
  2.  A  boisterous,  brawling,  turbulent  person;  --  formerly 
  applied  to  both  sexes,  now  only  to  women. 
 
  This  terrible  termagant,  this  Nero,  this  Pharaoh. 
  --Bale  (1543). 
 
  The  slave  of  an  imperious  and  reckless  termagant. 
  --Macaulay. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  termagant 
  n  :  a  scolding  nagging  bad-tempered  woman  [syn:  {shrew}]




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