Shrew \Shrew\, n. [See {Shrew}, a.]
1. Originally, a brawling, turbulent, vexatious person of
either sex, but now restricted in use to females; a
brawler; a scold.
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A man . . . grudgeth that shrews [i. e., bad men]
have prosperity, or else that good men have
adversity. --Chaucer.
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A man had got a shrew to his wife, and there could
be no quiet in the house for her. --L'Estrange.
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2. [AS. scre['a]wa; -- so called because supposed to be
venomous. ] (Zool.) Any small insectivore of the genus
{Sorex} and several allied genera of the family
{Sorecidae}. In form and color they resemble mice, but
they have a longer and more pointed nose. Some of them are
the smallest of all mammals.
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Note: The common European species are the house shrew
({Crocidura araneus}), and the erd shrew ({Sorex vulgaris}) (see under {Erd}.). In the United States
several species of {Sorex} and {Blarina} are common, as
the broadnosed shrew ({Sorex platyrhinus}), Cooper's
shrew ({Sorex Cooperi}), and the short-tailed, or mole,
shrew ({Blarina brevicauda}). Th American water, or
marsh, shrew ({Neosorex palustris}), with fringed feet,
is less common. The common European water shrews are
{Crossopus fodiens}, and the oared shrew (see under
{Oared}).
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{Earth shrew}, any shrewlike burrowing animal of the family
{Centetidae}, as the tendrac.
{Elephant shrew}, {Jumping shrew}, {Mole shrew}. See under
{Elephant}, {Jumping}, etc.
{Musk shrew}. See {Desman}.
{River shrew}, an aquatic West African insectivore
({Potamogale velox}) resembling a weasel in form and size,
but having a large flattened and crested tail adapted for
rapid swimming. It feeds on fishes.
{Shrew mole}, a common large North American mole ({Scalops aquaticus}). Its fine, soft fur is gray with iridescent
purple tints.
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