virago

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin virāgō (“warlike or heroic woman”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /vɪˈɹɑːɡəʊ/
  • Hyphenation: vi‧ra‧go

Noun

virago (plural viragos or viragoes)

  1. A woman given to undue belligerence or ill manner at the slightest provocation; a shrew, a termagant.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 22, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. Thus outraged, she showed herself to be a bold as well as a furious virago. Next day she found her way to their lodgings and tried to recover her ward by the hair of the head.
  2. A woman who is scolding, domineering, or highly opinionated.
  3. A woman who is rough, loud, and aggressive.

Quotations

1964, Joan was all Arden, grinning there, siding with her virago mother. — Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun

Synonyms

  • (belligerent woman): For semantic relationships of this term, see shrew in the Thesaurus.
  • (domineering woman): For semantic relationships of this term, see shrew in the Thesaurus.
  • (loud woman):

Derived terms

Translations

Italian

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: vi‧ra‧go

Noun

virago f (invariable or literary plural: viragini)

  1. amazon

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

From vir (“man”) +‎ -āgō.

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /wiˈraː.ɡoː/, [wɪˈraː.ɡoː]

Noun

virāgō f (genitive virāginis); third declension

  1. a warlike woman

Inflection

Third declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative virāgō virāginēs
genitive virāginis virāginum
dative virāginī virāginibus
accusative virāginem virāginēs
ablative virāgine virāginibus
vocative virāgō virāginēs

Descendants

References

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin virāgō.

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: vi‧ra‧go

Noun

virago f (plural viragos)

  1. (pejorative) a manly woman
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