"A virago is a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities. The word comes from the Latin word virāgō (genitive virāginis) meaning variously, vigorous, heroic maiden, ...
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a female warrior, heroine..´ from vir meaning ´man´ (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix -āgō is added, a suffix that creates a new noun of the third declension with feminine grammatical gender.
The word virago has almost always had an association with cultural gender transgression. A virago, of whatever excellence, was still identified by her gender. There are recorded instances of viragos (such as Joan of Arc) fighting battles, wearing men´s clothing, or receiving the tonsure. The word virago could also be used disparagingly, to imply that a virago was not excellent or heroic, but was instead violating cultural norms. Thus virago joined pejoratives such as termagant, mannish, amazonian and shrew to demean women who acted aggressively or like men." - (en.wikipedia.org 25.10.2020)
