Various minority communitites have reclaimed pejorative words about themselves and chosen to use them with pride; I think women should do the same with “virago”.<\/p>\n
The OED gives two definitions <\/p>\n
2. a. A man-like, vigorous, and heroic woman; a female warrior; an amazon. Now rare.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Citing the example:<\/p>\n
1885 19th Cent. May 472 She [Vittoria Colonna] was a virago, a name which, however misapprehended now, bore a different and worthy signification in her day.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
or the far more common use:<\/p>\n
3. A bold, impudent (or [obsolete sense] wicked) woman; a termagant, a scold.
\nc1386 Chaucer Man of Law’s T. 359 O Sowdanesse, roote of Iniquitee, Virago,
\nthou Semyrame the secounde [etc.].
\n1680 C. Nesse Ch. Hist. 178 God sets this black brand upon this virago Jezabel.
\n1865 Trollope Belton Est. xxvii. 329, I believe Lady Aylmer to be an
\noverbearing virago, whom it is good to put down.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nI came to this from a curious but interesting piece of semi-feminist history writing, Uncrowned Queens: Women Who Influenced Manners and Moulded the Society They Lived In<\/em>, by Amy Latour, first published in English in 1970 (in French in 1967). Its main characters include Isabella D’Este (who she calls in flattering terms a virago), Madame de Rambouillet and Madame de Scudery; Madame Geoffrin and Madame du Deffand; “Mrs Montagu and the Blue Stockings”; Rahel Varnhagen, Princess Cristina di Belgiojocso; Juliette Adam ; and Gertrude Stein.<\/p>\n
I’m ashamed to confess that there was several in that list previously unknown to me; a reminder about how limited the Anglo-Saxon academic approach can be.<\/p>\n