Singular Notions

termagant

PRONUNCIATION:

(TER-muh-guhnt)

MEANING:

noun: A quarrelsome or overbearing woman.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old French Tervagant. The term originates after an imaginary deity that Christians in medieval Europe erroneously believed was worshiped by Muslims. It was represented in morality plays as a violent, overbearing personage. Over time the term became generalized to apply to any brawling person, and eventually only to women.

USAGE:

“[Mrs. Lincoln], the wife of one of our most beloved presidents, has been characterized as a sharp-tongued termagant who made her husband’s life miserable.”
Larry Eskridge; The Tragedy of Mary Lincoln; The Daily Ledger (Canton, Illinois); May 16, 2009.