oldwife

[ old-wahyf ]

/ ˈɒldˌwaɪf /

Save This Word!

noun, plural old·wives.

any of various fishes, as the alewife, the menhaden, or a West Indian fish of the family Balistidae.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of oldwife

First recorded in 1580–90; old + wife

Words nearby oldwife

old-timey, Old Turkic, Olduvai Gorge, Old Welsh, Old West, oldwife, Old Wives' summer, old wives' tale, old woman, old-womanish, old-world

British Dictionary definitions for oldwife

oldwife

/ (ˈəʊldˌwaɪf) /

noun plural -wives

another name for old squaw

any of various fishes, esp the menhaden or the alewife

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