harridan
/ˈhæɹ.ɪ.dən/ noun
Forms harridans
Synonyms
battle axe bitch brim brimstone cat cockatrice crow dragon faggot fishwife harpy hellcat jade nag nudnik scold she-devil shrew termagant virago
Etymology
Perhaps a modification of French haridelle (“old horse, nag”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A worn-out strumpet; a vixenish woman; a hag. Such a weak, watery, wicked old harridan, substituted for the pretty creature I had been used to see. De Quincey.
Etymology [F. haridelle a worn-out horse, jade.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “harridan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details