oldwife

[old-wahyf]

noun, plural old·wives.

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

old squaw.

Origin of oldwife

First recorded in 1580–90; old + wife

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

British Dictionary definitions for oldwife

oldwife

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