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alewife

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noun ale·wife \ˈāl-ˌwīf\

Definition of alewife

  1. :  a woman who keeps an alehouse

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First Known Use of alewife

15th century

2

alewife

noun ale·wife

Definition of alewife

plural

alewives

play \-ˌwīvz\

  1. :  a food fish (Alosa pseudoharengus) of the herring family that is very abundant along the Atlantic coast; also :  any of several related fishes (such as the menhaden)

Origin and Etymology of alewife

perhaps alteration of obsolete allowes, a kind of shad, from French alose shad, from Old French, from Late Latin alausa

Learn More about alewife

  1. See words that rhyme with alewife Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alewife

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