Etymograph

English

shrewmouse

From shrew + mouse.

A compound of shrew + mouse

Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut’

Proto-Germanic *skrawwaz ‘thin’

Old English sċrēawa

Middle English schrewe ‘a scoundrel or villain’

English shrew

Proto-Indo-European *múHs

Proto-Germanic *mūs

Proto-West Germanic *mūs

Old English mūs

Middle English mous ‘mouse or shrew’

English mouse

Today it means

noun A shrew, especially the common shrew (also called the erd shrew).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “shrewmouse”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / shrewmouse

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