alewife
/ˈeɪlˌwaɪf/noun
alewife is spelled A-L-E-W-I-F-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 118,441st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, alewife means “A migrating North American fish, Alosa pseudoharengus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of alewife is alewives.
How many letters and syllables are in alewife?
| Letters | 7: A-L-E-W-I-F-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 15 million words; the 118,441st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is alewife?
Alewife appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 118,441st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce alewife?
- UK /ˈeɪlwʌɪf/
- US /ˈeɪlˌwaɪf/
Alewife has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of alewife
- alewives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does alewife mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A migrating North American fish, Alosa pseudoharengus.
- 2
Any of several species similar in appearance.
- 3
archaicA woman who keeps an alehouse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Alewife in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | patronne , gaspareau, gasparot |
| German | Wirtin, Schankwirtin , Großaugenhering |
| Spanish | tabernera, cervecera , pinchagua |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does alewife come from?
Unknown. Possibly from aloof, the Narragansett 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. Possibly from allowes (“a type of shad”), from French alose (“shad”), from Old French [Term?], from Late Latin alausa, influenced by Etymology 1 due to large belly of the fish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).