Xanthippe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The ancient Athenian wife of the philosopher Socrates, traditionally remembered as quarrelsome ; a scolding, ill-tempered woman who constantly nags or argues
2. Named for the wife of the philosopher Socrates, a legendary shrew ; used of any woman who is bad-tempered, sharp-tongued and given to constant complaint
3. Socrates' famously difficult wife in classical Athens ; a term for a shrewish, quarrelsome woman who scolds and berates those around her

Etymology: Xanthippe was the name of Socrates' wife, and her reputation as a scold is largely the product of one ancient text. In Xenophon's "Symposium," she is described as shrewish, yet the same work says Socrates chose her precisely for her argumentative spirit. Elsewhere, in Xenophon's "Memorabilia" and Plato's "Phaedo," she appears as a devoted wife and mother, so the nagging wife is a reputation rather than a consistent portrait. The name itself is Greek, built from "xanthos," meaning "blond" or "golden, yellow," and "hippos," meaning "horse." It passed into English through Latin "Xanthippe," which was taken from the Greek "Xanthippe." The name therefore literally means something like "golden horse" or "yellow mare," an unexpectedly lively origin for a name now used to mean a bad-tempered woman.

Synonyms: shrew, virago, termagant, harridan, scold