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DictionaryshrewSmall mammal
noun

shrew

SHROO/ʃruː/

a small insect-eating mammal with a pointed snout

A shrew stands beside a fallen leaf.

A single shrew in clear three-quarter side view, its elongated pointed snout, tiny eyes, small rounded ears and compact mouse-like body immediately readable beside a fallen leaf.
Etymology
shrewOld Englishshrew-mouse

Old English screawa already meant “shrew-mouse.” Its deeper origin is uncertain, though a tentative connection with words for cutting has been suggested in reference to the animal’s pointed snout.

In context

Animal Fact Files0:23
Shrews also boast the smallest living terrestrial mammal: the white-toothed little shrew. This tiny shrew weighs less than an ounce (28g) and measures 3 inches (7.6cm) in length including its tail.
Shrew Facts: a VENOMOUS MAMMAL | Animal Fact Files

More examples

  • The shrew disappeared beneath a pile of leaves.
  • Shrews eat insects, worms, and other small animals.
  • We spotted a shrew near the garden wall.

Forms

shrew · shrews

Similar words

mouse
A rodent, unlike a shrew, with a less elongated snout.
vole
A small rodent with a blunter snout than a shrew.