Read the excerpt below and answer the question. From even this stronghold the unlucky Rip was at length routed by his termagant wife, who would suddenly break in upon the tranquillity of the assemblage, and call the members all to nought; nor was that august personage, Nicholas Vedder himself, sacred from the daring tongue of this terrible virago, who charged him outright with encouraging her husband in habits of idleness. Using context clues, what does the word termagant most likely mean in this excerpt from Washington Irving's "Rip Van

The word 'termagant' means a nagging woman.

Explanation:

'Rip Van Winkle' is a short story written by Washington Irving. The story is about Rip Van Winkle, who gets drunk and fall into sleep for twenty years.

The word 'termagant' is a derogatory term used for a quarrelsome woman. The term is derived from Latin word, which in modern English is translated as 'violent or turbulent.'

In the given context, the term is used to define Van Winkle's wife, who is a nagging or brawling woman. The context clues are those clues which an author gives to his/her reader in close proximity with unfamiliar word.

The context clue for the word 'termagant' is given in the next line 'who would suddenly break in upon the tranquillity of the assemblage, and call the members all to nought.'

These lines suggests that the term 'termagant' means a brawling or nagging woman.

personal narrative

first person fiction

etc.