fishwife

[ fish-wahyf ]

/ ˈfɪʃˌwaɪf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fishwife ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural fish·wives.

a woman who sells fish.

a coarse-mannered, vulgar-tongued woman.

Nearby words

fishskin, fishskin disease, fishtail, fishtank, fishway, fishwife, fishworm, fishy, fisk, fiske, fissi-

Origin of fishwife

First recorded in 1375–1425, fishwife is from the late Middle English word fisshwyf. See fish, wife

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fishwife

I have enough of this life; I have had enough of these fishwife's manners.
A Chambermaid's Diary|Octave Mirbeau
This Thenardier female was like the product of a wench engrafted on a fishwife.
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
He finally stopped looking at the fishwife—he met his companion's enquiry.
What Maisie Knew|Henry James
But when I got to the other end of the bridge there was no other fishwife to be seen.
The King of Schnorrers|Israel Zangwill

The boy was placed at the helm, and the fishwife and her brother took the oars.
The Heir of Kilfinnan|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for fishwife

fishwife

/ (ˈfɪʃˌwaɪf) /

noun plural -wives

a woman who sells fish

a coarse scolding woman

Derived Forms

fishwifely, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fishwife

noun, plural fish·wives.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of fishwife

Examples from the Web for fishwife

British Dictionary definitions for fishwife

fishwife

noun plural -wives

Derived Forms