alewife

Definitions


[ˈeɪlwʌɪf], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a north-western Atlantic fish of the herring family that swims up rivers to spawn and is found also in the Great Lakes


Phrases:

Origin:
mid 17th century: possibly from earlier alewife ‘woman who keeps an ale house’, with reference to the fish's large belly




definition by Oxford Dictionaries