Definition of "shrew" [shrew]

• Any of various small, chiefly insectivorous mammals of the family Soricidae, resembling a mouse but having a long pointed snout and small eyes and ears. Also called shrewmouse. (noun)
• A woman with a violent, scolding, or nagging temperament; a scold. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Our forefathers provided themselves with what they called a shrew-ash, in order to meet the case."
• "The role of domestic shrew is played, to some extent, by Summerset."
• "The new shrew is presently only known from mid montane and lowland rainforests of Sinharaja."