different between abusive vs fishwife

English

Etymology

First attested in the 1530s. From French abusif, from Latin ab?s?vus, from abusus + -ivus (“-ive”). Equivalent to abuse +? -ive.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??bju?.s?v/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??bju.s?v/, /??bju.z?v/

Adjective

abusive (comparative more abusive, superlative most abusive)

1. Prone to treat someone badly by coarse, insulting words or other maltreatment; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous. [First attested in the early 17th century.]

2. (obsolete) Tending to deceive; fraudulent. [Attested only from the early to mid 17th century.]
   • 1623, Francis Bacon, A Discourse of a War with Spain

     an abusive treaty

3. (archaic) Tending to misuse; practising or containing abuse. [First attested in the late 16th century.]
4. Being physically or emotionally injurious; characterized by repeated violence or other abuse.
5. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied; unjust; illegal. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]
6. (archaic) Catachrestic. [First attested in the mid 16th century.]

Synonyms

• (prone to treating badly): reproachful, scurrilous, opprobrious, insolent, insulting, injurious, offensive, reviling, berating, vituperative

Derived terms

• abusively
• abusiveness

Translations

References

French

Adjective

abusive

1. feminine singular of abusif

Italian

Adjective

abusive

1. feminine plural of abusivo

Latin

Adjective

ab?s?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of ab?s?vus

References

• abusive in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

English

Etymology

fish +? wife (“now-obsolete meaning woman”). (see also midwife)

Noun

fishwife (plural fishwives)

1. (archaic) A woman who sells or works with fish; a female fishmonger.
2. (derogatory) A vulgar, abusive or nagging woman with a loud, unpleasant voice.
3. (Tyneside, derogatory) A person, especially a woman, with poor personal hygiene.

Synonyms

• (woman who sells fish): fishmongeress (fishmongress), fishwoman, piscatrix (historical)
• (nagging woman): See Thesaurus:shrew

Hypernyms

• (woman who sells fish): fishmonger

Coordinate terms

• (woman who sells fish): fishman

Translations

Scots

Etymology

fish +? wife

Noun

fishwife (plural fishwifes)

1. fishwife
2. (derogatory) woman of coarse behaviour, temperament and vocabulary