alewife

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ale=wife

CIDE DICTIONARY

alewife, n. 

 A woman who keeps an alehouse.  Gay.  [1913 Webster]

alewife, n. [This word is properly aloof, the Indian name of a fish. See Winthrop on the culture of maize in America, “Phil Trans.” No. 142, p. 1065, and Baddam's “Memoirs,” vol. ii. p. 131.].

 A North American fish (Clupea vernalis) of the Herring family. It is called also ellwife, ellwhop, branch herring. The name is locally applied to other related species.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

alewife, n. (pl. alewives) US any of several species of fish allied to the herring.

Etymology

corrupt. of 17th-c. aloofe: orig. uncert.