Noun: alewife (alewives) 'eyl,wIf
- Shad-like food fish that runs rivers to spawn; often salted or smoked; sometimes placed in genus Pomolobus
"Alewives once filled the Great Lakes in enormous numbers";
- Alosa pseudoharengus, Pomolobus pseudoharengus
- Flesh of shad-like fish abundant along the Atlantic coast or in coastal streams
"Smoked alewife is a popular regional delicacy"
Derived forms: alewives
Type of: clupeid, clupeid fish, fish
Part of: Alosa, genus Alosa
Encyclopedia: Alewife