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fishwife

American  
[fish-wahyf] / ˈfɪʃˌwaɪf /

noun

plural

fishwives

  1. a woman who sells fish.

  2. a coarse-mannered, vulgar-tongued woman.

fishwife British  
/ ˈfɪʃˌwaɪf /

noun

  1. a woman who sells fish

  2. a coarse scolding woman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • fishwifely adjective

Etymology

Origin of fishwife

First recorded in 1375–1425, fishwife is from the late Middle English word fisshwyf. See fish, wife

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.