alewife

1 of 2

noun (1)

ale·​wife ˈāl-ˌwīf 

: a woman who keeps an alehouse

alewife

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural alewives ˈāl-ˌwīvz 

: a food fish (Alosa pseudoharengus) of the herring family that is very abundant along the Atlantic coast

also : any of several related fishes (such as the menhaden)

Examples of alewife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Invasive mussels, alewives top the list Here’s the top ten: Zebra mussels – mollusks introduced via ballast water. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2024

Crum’s explorations of blue catfish stomachs turned up all kinds of fish, from alewife to yellow perch, and even a wood duck. —Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2024

In one remarkable instance, the construction of a dam trapped two herring species, alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis), in the Kerr Reservoir on the border between North Carolina and Virginia. —Richard Pallardy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024

Woodworth said there are five migratory fish affected by the dam: American eel, sea lamprey, blueback herring, alewife and American shad. —Ed Stannard, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

perhaps alteration of obsolete allowes, a kind of shad, from French alose shad, from Old French, from Late Latin alausa

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1633, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

alewife

noun

ale·​wife

ˈā(ə)l-ˌwīf

: a food fish that is related to the herrings and is common along the Atlantic coast of the U.S.