Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Termagant

Ter′ma·gant (·gant), n. [OE. Trivigant, Termagant, Termagant (in sense 1), OF. Tervagan; cf. It. Trivigante.] 1. An imaginary being supposed by the Christians to be a Mohammedan deity or false god. He is represented in the ancient moralities, farces, and puppet shows as extremely vociferous and tumultous. [Obs.] Chaucer. "And oftentimes by Termagant and Mahound [Mahomet] swore." Spenser.

The lesser part on Christ believed well, On Termagant the more, and on Mahound. Fairfax.

2. A boisterous, brawling, turbulent person; — formerly applied to both sexes, now only to women.

This terrible termagant, this Nero, this Pharaoh. Bale.

The slave of an imperious and reckless termagant. Macaulay.

Ter′ma·gant, a. Tumultuous; turbulent; boisterous; furious; quarrelsome; scolding. — Ter′ma·gant·ly, adv.

A termagant, imperious, prodigal, profligate wench. Arbuthnot.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty.