Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A woman regarded as noisy, scolding, or domineering.
- noun A large, strong, courageous woman.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A woman of extraordinary stature, strength, and courage; a woman who has the robust body and masculine mind of a man; a female warrior.
- noun Hence A bold, impudent, turbulent woman; a termagant: now the usual meaning.
- noun [capitalized] [NL. (A. Newton, 1871).] A genus of Anatinæ: so called because the female has a peculiarity of the windpipe usually found only in male ducks. The species is V. punctata (or castanea) of Australia.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A woman of extraordinary stature, strength, and courage; a woman who has the robust body and masculine mind of a man; a female warrior.
- noun Hence, a mannish woman; a bold, turbulent woman; a termagant; a vixen.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun said of a woman Given to undue
belligerence or ill manner at the slightest provocation; ashrew , atermagant - noun said of a woman
scolding ,domineering , highlyopinionated ; afishwife , anag - noun said of a woman
rough ,loud , andaggressive - adjective pertaining to a virago
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a large strong and aggressive woman
- noun a noisy or scolding or domineering woman
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Calvin uses the word virissa; Dathe, after Le Clerc, the word vira; and though neither of them are strictly classical, yet are they far preferable to the term virago in the Vulgate, which Calvin justly rejects, and which means a woman of masculine character.
Commentary on Genesis - Volume 1 1509-1564 1996
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This other Pallas — the word itself can be accented to have a feminine or masculine meaning in our language, but here it is close to the Latin word virago, which means ‘strong virgin’ — had been killed in a sham fight with Athena.
Ilium Simmons, Dan 1981
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Which then said: This is now a bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; and Adam gave her a name like as her lord, and said she should be called virago, which is as much as to say as made of a man, and is a name taken of a man.
The Golden Legend, vol. 1 1230-1298 1900
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Anne Royall 1769 – 1854 a hero of feminism… but in her day… she was “called a virago and a monomaniac” - now that such things are “normalized” we can celebrate her without a concern.
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She was, he tells us, as indeed she had been in the preceding feudal centuries, often what we should nowadays call a virago, of violent temperament, with vivid passions, broken in from childhood to all physical exercises, sharing the pleasures and dangers of the knights around her.
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She was, he tells us, as indeed she had been in the preceding feudal centuries, often what we should nowadays call a virago, of violent temperament, with vivid passions, broken in from childhood to all physical exercises, sharing the pleasures and dangers of the knights around her.
Little Essays of Love and Virtue Havelock Ellis 1899
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Randle Holme says that a sleeve thus tied in at the elbow was called a virago sleeve.
Customs and Fashions in Old New England Alice Morse Earle 1881
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As for "virago", it may be male in Shakespeare, but it was female all the way back to Plautus.
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"Well, did you get it?" one of them, apparently the "virago" herself, asked abruptly.
The Chorus Girl and Other Stories Anton Pavlovich Chekhov 1882
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He believed her to be simply a vulgar, interfering, brazen-faced virago.
brtom commented on the word virago
"A hoarse virago retorts."
Joyce, Ulysses, 15
January 28, 2007
virago commented on the word virago
Hmm. I always understood it to mean maiden warrior. I guess need to do more research - and perhaps change my handle.
November 3, 2007
reesetee commented on the word virago
Not to worry, virago. I think the older meaning is something like "a woman of strength or spirit." As John explained (somewhere here), the definition that pops up near the word is its most common usage. Don't know offhand how or when it shifted from one meaning to the other, though.
It's a nice handle, I think. :-)
November 4, 2007
100000232338334 commented on the word virago
"'And is he? He has the gall to tell this virago Debbie that Sookie is good in bed.'" -Club Dead, by Charlaine Harris
February 5, 2011
5814738 commented on the word virago
"'Termagant' he moaned after her. 'Shrew! Harridan! Alright, alright, you win, you, you...uh...virago, you spitfire." From Perdido Street Station by China Meiville.
September 18, 2011
qms commented on the word virago
See comments at viraginity.
August 3, 2015