Word of the Day: Xanthippe

Word of the Day: Xanthippe or Xantippe
PRONUNCIATION: [zan-thip-ee]
MEANING:
noun: 1. The wife of Socrates, traditionally described as shrewish and scolding. 2. Any nagging scolding person, especially a shrewish wife.
ETYMOLOGY: After Xanthippe, wife of Socrates (c. 5 BCE) who has been portrayed as a nagging, quarrelsome woman. The name Xanthippe is from xanthos (yellow) + hippos (horse). 
NOTES:
Socrates is said to have advised, "By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." It's not known what Socrates thought would happen if the roles were reversed. Also, there's the question of which came first: philosophizing or being ill-tempered. Would being married to a philosopher turn a woman into a shrew?

 USAGE: A well known anecdote about the angry Xanthippe is the one where she was so angry with her husband that she threw a bucket of washing water on him.
SYNONYMS: harpy, harridan, hellcat, she-devil, shrew, termagant, virago, witch
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