alewife
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1ale·wife
noun \ˈāl-ˌwīf\Definition of ALEWIFE
: a woman who keeps an alehouse
First Known Use of ALEWIFE
15th century
Rhymes with ALEWIFE
case knife, clasp knife, drawknife, farmwife, fishwife, flick-knife, folklife, good life, goodwife, half-life, highlife, housewife, jackknife, loosestrife, lowlife, midlife, midwife, nightlife, oldwife, penknife, pro-life, real-life, shelf life, steak knife, still life, true-life, wakerife, whole-life, wildlife
2alewife
noun plural ale·wives\-ˌwīvz\
Definition of ALEWIFE
: a food fish (Alosa pseudoharengus) of the herring family that is very abundant along the Atlantic coast; also : any of several related fishes (as the menhaden)
Origin of ALEWIFE
perhaps alteration of obsolete allowes, a kind of shad, from French alose shad, from Old French, from Late Latin alausa
First Known Use: 1633
alewife
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Important North American food fish (Pomolobus, or Alosa, pseudoharengus) of the herring family. The alewife grows to about 1 ft (30 cm). Most populations spend several years along North America's Atlantic coast before ascending freshwater streams to spawn each spring in ponds or sluggish rivers.
Learn More About ALEWIFE
Browse
Seen & Heard 
What made you want to look up alewife? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
