alewife

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.1.1 Noun 1.1.2 Noun 1.1.2.1 Synonyms

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

ale + wife; perhaps alteration of earlier allowes 'a kind of shad,' from French alose 'shad' (Merriam-Webster).

[edit] Noun

alewife (plural alewives)

1. (archaic) A woman who keeps an alehouse.

[edit] Noun

Wikipedia

alewife (plural alewives)

1. A North American fish (Clupea vernalis) of the herring family. The name is locally applied to other related species.

[edit] Synonyms

• branch herring
• ellwhop
• ellwife