alewife

¹ American  

[eyl-wahyf] / ˈeɪlˌwaɪf /

noun

plural

alewives

1. a North American fish, Alosa pseudoharengus, resembling a small shad.

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alewife ² American  

[eyl-wahyf] / ˈeɪlˌwaɪf /

noun

plural

alewives

1. a woman who owns or operates an alehouse.

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alewife British  

/ ˈeɪlˌwaɪf /

noun

1. a North American fish, Pomolobus pseudoharengus, similar to the herring Clupea harengus: family Clupeidae (herrings)

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Etymology

Origin of alewife¹

1625–35, earlier allowes, perhaps influenced by alewife ², probably < French alose shad < Gallo-Latin alausa

Origin of alewife²

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at ale, wife

Explanation

An alewife is a small fish, a type of herring. Alewives are found in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily in the Northeast of the US and Canada. In Maine, the alewife is used for bait in lobster traps, and it's also eaten by people, often smoked. There are different names for alewives in different locations, including gaspereau in Atlantic Canada and kiack in Nova Scotia. In the 14th century, an alewife was a tavern or bar keeper's wife: the fish got the name in the 1600s, as a kind of bad joke, from the shape of its rounded abdomen.

Example Sentences

Karen Wilson, an associate research professor at the University of Southern Maine, has been working on alewife restoration and dam removal for years.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2016

She sent me a quote from the minutes of a 1792 Woolwich town meeting where citizens prevented overfishing by setting alewife harvest days and established fines for those who “transgrefsed.”

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2016

As some of you correctly noted, this man is holding an alewife, also known as a herring.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2011

Originally an ocean fish, the alewife could not penetrate very far into the Great Lakes until the 1930s, when rebuilding of the Welland Canal provided it with a convenient bypass around Niagara Falls.

From Time Magazine Archive

He had had no breakfast and for supper the night before only one salt alewife and a mug of milk.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes