oldwife

[ old-wahyf ]

/ ˈɒldˌwaɪf /

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noun, plural old·wives.

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

old squaw.

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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