OLDWIFE (oldwives)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: oldwives   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does oldwife mean? 

• OLDWIFE (noun)
  The noun OLDWIFE has 2 senses:

1. tropical Atlantic fish

2. a common long-tailed sea duck of the northern parts of the United States

  Familiarity information: OLDWIFE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OLDWIFE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Tropical Atlantic fish

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

Balistes vetula; Bessy cerca; oldwench; oldwife; queen triggerfish

Hypernyms ("oldwife" is a kind of...):

triggerfish (any of numerous compressed deep-bodied tropical fishes with sandpapery skin and erectile spines in the first dorsal fin)

Holonyms ("oldwife" is a member of...):

Balistes; genus Balistes (type genus of the Balistidae)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A common long-tailed sea duck of the northern parts of the United States

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

Clangula hyemalis; old squaw; oldwife

Hypernyms ("oldwife" is a kind of...):

sea duck (any of various large diving ducks found along the seacoast: eider; scoter; merganser)

Holonyms ("oldwife" is a member of...):

Clangula; genus Clangula (a genus of ducks)