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