SG Heritage Dictionary

Alewife [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

An American fish, belonging to the genus Clupea, and called Clupea Serrata. it resembles the herring. The established pronunciation is alewife plu alewives.

Alewife [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. A woman who keeps an alehouse.

2. 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.