termagant

The noun is derived from Termagant (“fictitious deity with a violent temperament represented as being worshipped by Muslims or other non-Christians”), from Middle English Termagaunt (“fictitious deity represented as being worshipped by Muslims; any pagan god”),^[1] from Anglo-Norman Tervagant, Tervagaunt, Tervagan, and Old French Tervagant, Tervagan (possibly with the addition of Anglo-Norman -aunt, Old French -ant (suffix forming past participles of verbs, some of which were used as nouns); modern French Tervagant (historical)); further etymology uncertain, one common suggestion being that it is from Latin ter (“three times, thrice”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”)) + vagāns (“rambling, wandering”) (the present active participle of vagor (“to ramble, roam, wander”), from vagus (“rambling, roaming, wandering”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hwogos) + -or (inflected form of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Medieval French chansons de geste named Termagant as one of three deities supposedly worshipped by Muslims, the others being Apollin and Mahound, and the name may allude to the wandering of the moon (the crescent moon being a common symbol of Islam) in the form of the mythological goddesses Selene in heaven, Diana on earth, and Proserpina in the underworld.^[2][3]

The reason for the shift in meaning from the fictitious deity to a brawling and turbulent person is unclear.^[2]

The adjective is derived from the noun.^[2]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜːməɡ(ə)nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜɹməɡənt/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ter‧mag‧ant

termagant (plural termagants)

2. (archaic) A brawling, boisterous, and turbulent person or thing.
   • 1730, [Jonathan Swift], A Vindication of His Excellency the Lord C[artere]t, from the Charge of Favouring None but Tories, High-Churchmen and Jacobites. […], London: […] [William Bowyer] for T. Warner […], →OCLC, page 27:

     […] I do not find hovv his E[xcellenc]y can be juſtly cenſured for favouring none but High-Church, High-flyers, Termagants, Laudiſts, Sacheverellians, Tip-top-gallon-men, Jacobites, Tantivyes, Anti-Hannoverians, Friends to Popery and the Pretender, and to Arbitrary Povver, […]

   • 1823 December 23 (indicated as 1824), [Walter Scott], “Perplexities”, in St Ronan’s Well. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC, page 196:

     [T]wo raw lads from a certain great manufacturing town […] were in the act of seeking for the speediest exit from the gardens; rather choosing to resign their share of the dinner, than to abide the farther consequences that might follow from the displeasure of his Highland Termagaunt.

   • 1851, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XV, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 564:

     No person who had a natural interest in the Princess [Anne, Queen of Great Britain] could observe without uneasiness the strange infatuation which made her the slave of an imperious and reckless termagant [Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough].

   • 1861 November, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “George the Third”, in The Four Georges: Sketches of Manners, Morals, Court, and Town Life, London: Smith, Elder and Co., […], →OCLC, page 112:

     Yonder is Sarah Marlborough's palace, just as it stood when that termagant occupied it.

   • 1980, Bernard Mac Laverty, chapter 6, in Lamb (King Penguin), Harmondsworth, Middlesex [London]: Penguin Books, published 1985, →OCLC, page 50:

     'Mrs Kane has been filling us in on some background information on Owen.' The woman nodded, drumming her nicotined fingers. 'And I have been assuring her that the boys who arrive here thimbleriggers and termagants are the least of our worries. But we do not send them out that way. Do we, Brother?'

3. (specifically, derogatory) A censorious, nagging, and quarrelsome woman; a scold, a shrew.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shrew

   • 1662, [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, canto II, page 38:

     They [authors] would not suffer the stout'st Dame, / To swear by Hercules his Name, / Make feeble Ladies, in their Works, / To fight like Termagants and Turks; […]

   • a. 1733 (date written), [John] Gay, Achilles. An Opera. […], London: […] J[ohn] Watts […], published 1733, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 27:

     This Girl is ſo exceſſively ill-bred, and ſuch an arrant Termagant, that I cou'd as ſoon fall in love vvith a Tigreſs. She hath a handſom Face, 'tis true, but in her Temper ſhe is a very Fury.

   • 1894, Émile Gaboriau, chapter 1, in Laura E. Kendall, transl., Monsieur Lecoq […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: Peter Fenelon Collier, →OCLC, page 15:

     [T]he Widow Chupin […] poured forth a torrent of invective upon Gevrol and his agents, accusing them of persecuting her family […] At first the General tried to impose silence upon the terrible termagant; but he soon discovered that he was powerless; besides all his subordinates were laughing.

   • 1907, Plato, “[Index] Σωκράτης, -ους”, in edited by Isaac Flagg, The Apology and Crito, New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati, Oh.: American Book Company, →OCLC, page 196, column 2:

     The name of Xanthippe, the wife of Socrates, has become proverbial for a termagant.

   • 1970, Robertson Davies, “The Soirée of Illusions”, in Fifth Business […], Toronto, Ont.: Macmillan of Canada, →ISBN, section 3, page 282:

     Easier divorce, equal pay for equal work as between men and women, no discrimination between the sexes in employment—these were her causes, and in promoting them she was no comic-strip feminist termagant, but reasonable, logical, and untiring.

• termigant

• termagancy
• termagantish
• termagantism
• termagantly

termagant (comparative more termagant, superlative most termagant)

1. (archaic) Having the temperament of a termagant (noun sense 1); bad-tempered, brawling, boisterous, turbulent.
   • 1596, Tho[mas] Nashe, “Dialogus”, in Haue with You to Saffron-Walden. Or, Gabriell Harveys Hunt is Up. […], London: […] John Danter, →OCLC; republished as J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, Have with You to Saffron-Walden (Miscellaneous Tracts; Temp. Eliz. and Jac. I), [London: s.n., 1870], →OCLC, page 44:

     [R]idiculous ſenſeles ſentences, finicall, flaunting phraſes, and termagant inkhorne tearmes throughout his booke, […]

   • 1632 (date written), Richard Brome, “The Novella, a Comedie. […]”, in A[lexander] Brome, editor, Five New Playes, […], London: […] Humphrey Moseley, Richard Marriot, and Thomas Dring, […], published 1653, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, signature I2, recto:

     O Cupid vvhat a Termagant tyrant art thou / Over poore ſubjects of ſixteene! There is not one / Among a hundred of thoſe tickliſh Trifles / But is more taken vvith a Toy at ſixteene / Then ſix and tvventy: […]

2. (specifically, derogatory) Of a woman, her behaviour, etc.: censorious, nagging, and quarrelsome; scolding, shrewish.
   • 1667 August 25 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Dryden], Sr Martin Mar-all, or The Feign’d Innocence: A Comedy. […], London: […] H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1668, →OCLC, Act I, page 4:

     [F]earing his Father ſhould knovv of it, and his VVife, vvho is a Termagant Lady: but vvhen he finds the Coaſt is clear, and his late ruffling knovvn to none but you, he vvill be drunk vvith joy.

   • 1677, John Dryden, The Kind Keeper; or, Mr. Limberham: A Comedy: […], London: […] R[ichard] Bentley, and M[ary] Magnes, […], published 1680, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 6:

     But this Lady is ſo Termagant an Empreſs! and he ſo ſubmiſſive, ſo tame, ſo led a Keeper, and as proud of his Slavery, as a French man: I am confident he dares not find her falſe, for fear of a quarrel vvith her; […]

   • 1709 August 24 (Gregorian calendar), Isaac Bickerstaff [pseudonym; Richard Steele et al.], “Saturday, August 13, 1709”, in The Tatler, number 54; republished in [Richard Steele], editor, The Tatler, […], London stereotype edition, volume I, London: I. Walker and Co.;  […], 1822, →OCLC, page 325:

     He answered Phillis a little abruptly at supper the same evening, upon which she threw his periwig into the fire. 'Well,' said he 'thou art a brave termagant jade: do you know, hussy, that fair wig cost forty guineas?'

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “How the Guardians of the Deceas’d Mrs. Bull’s Three Daughters Came to John, and what Advice they Gave Him; wherein is Briefly Treated the Characters of the Three Daughters: Also John Bull’s Answer to the Three Guardians”, in John Bull in His Senses: Being the Second Part of Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], Edinburgh: […] James Watson, […], →OCLC, page 21:

     The Eldeſt vvas a termagant, imperious, prodigal, levvd, profligate VVench, as ever breath'd; ſhe uſed to Rantipole about the Houſe, pinch the Children, kick the Servants, and torture the Cats and the Dogs; […]

   • 1761, [Frances Sheridan], “The Journal. [May 11. 1704.]”, in Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph, […], volume I, London: […] R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC, page 248:

     But the eldeſt daughter vvas alvvays her darling, vvho I underſtand is pretty much of her mother's ovvn caſt; and makes a very termagant vvife to a very turbulent huſband.

   • 1818 July 25, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter VI, in Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of Mid-Lothian), volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Company, →OCLC, page 144:

     "That's as muckle as till say, Bark, Bawtie, and be dune wi't!—I tell ye," raising her termagant voice, "I want my bairn! is na that braid Scots?"

   • 1860, W[illiam] S[eymour] Tyler, “Notes. Apologia Socratis.”, in Plato, Plato’s Apology and Crito; […], New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, […], →OCLC, note D, page 149:

     [Lamprocles] is introduced in Xen[ophon] Mem[orabilia] ii. 2, holding a conversation with his father [Socrates] touching his filial duty to his termagant mother [Xanthippe].

   • 1993 May 6, Anthony Burgess, “Part Two”, in A Dead Man in Deptford, London: Hutchinson, →ISBN, page 161:

     These bishops with their termagant wives throw the book at us and say believe because I demand belief and by God I will burn or hang and quarter you if you do not.

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