\Shrew\, a. [OE. shrewe, schrewe. Cf. {Shrewd}.]
Wicked; malicious. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

\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.
         A man . . . grudgeth that shrews [i. e., bad men]
         have prosperity, or else that good men have
         adversity.                            --Chaucer.
         A man had got a shrew to his wife, and there could
         be no quiet in the house for her.     --L'Estrange.
2. [AS. scre['a]wa; -- so called because supposed to be
   venomous. ] (Zo["o]l.) Any small insectivore of the genus
   {Sorex} and several allied genera of the family
   {Sorecid[ae]}. 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.
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 ({S. platyrhinus}), Cooper's shrew
      ({S. 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}).
{Earth shrew}, any shrewlike burrowing animal of the family
   {Centetid[ae]}, 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.

\Shrew\, v. t. [See {Shrew}, a., and cf. {Beshrew}.]
To beshrew; to curse. [Obs.] ``I shrew myself.'' --Chaucer.