alewife
pronunciation
How to pronounce alewife in British English:
UK ['eɪlwaɪf]
How to pronounce alewife in American English:
US ['eɪlwaɪf]
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- Noun:
- flesh of shad-like fish abundant along the Atlantic coast or in coastal streams
- shad-like food fish that runs rivers to spawn; often salted or smoked; sometimes placed in genus Pomolobus
Word Origin
- alewife (n.)
- herring-like fish of North America, 1630s, named from the word for female tavern keepers (late 14c.), from ale + wife; the fish so called in reference to its large abdomen.