Noun

(en noun)

Any of numerous small mouselike, chiefly nocturnal, mammals of the family Soricidae.

An ill-tempered, nagging woman: a scold.

You'd better not stay out late tonight — your mother is quite a shrew and you'll never hear the end of it.

Noun

(en noun)

(zoology) A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus .

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Charles T. Ambrose

, title= Alzheimer’s Disease , volume=101, issue=3, page=200, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.}}

(informal) A term indiscriminately applied to numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.

(informal) A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel; a quisling.

* 1883 , (Robert Louis Stevenson), (Treasure Island)

He’s more a man than any pair of rats of you in this here house.

(informal) An informant or snitch.

(slang) A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.

Scab.

Vagina.

A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.