harridan

English

WOTD – 6 August 2010

Etymology

Perhaps a modification of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French haridelle (“old horse, nag”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæɹ.ɪ.dən/
• IPA^(key): /ˈhæɹ.ɪ.dən/, /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.dən/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

harridan (plural harridans)

1. A vicious and scolding woman, especially an older one.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shrew

   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 13:

     Why is that tattling old harridan, Peggy O'Dowd, to make free with my name at her d—d supper-table, and advertise my engagement over the three kingdoms?

Translations

vicious and scolding woman

• Armenian: ջադու (hy) (ǰadu), վհուկ (hy) (vhuk)
• Bulgarian: зла старица f (zla starica), вещица (bg) (veštica)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 老太婆 (zh) (lǎotàipó), 老潑婦／老泼妇, 老泼妇 (lǎopōfù)

• Dutch: viswijf (nl) f, harpij (nl) f, helleveeg (nl) f,
• Finnish: äkäpussi (fi)
• French: harpie (fr) f, dragon (fr) m, virago (fr) f, haridelle (fr) f, mégère (fr) f, xanthippe f, casse-couilles (fr) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Drache (de) m (alter Drachen (de) m), Xanthippe (de) f, Hexe (de) f, Vettel (de) f
• Hungarian: banya (hu)
• Japanese: 鬼女 (ja) (きじょ, gijo), 鬼婆 (ja) (おにばば, onibaba), 悪婆 (ja) (あくば, akuba)
• Polish: jędza (pl) f, wiedźma (pl) f
• Russian: ве́дьма (ru) f (védʹma), карга́ (ru) f (kargá), мы́мра (ru) f (mýmra), гры́мза (ru) f (grýmza), меге́ра (ru) f (megéra)
• Spanish: vieja gruñona f, arpía f