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Glite Dictionary
🐟 A tropical fish 🦆 A sea duck
oldwife

oldwife

9.9
A tropical Atlantic fish with a flat, thin body and sharp spines on its back
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊldˌwaɪf/
  • US
translation icon : pez viejo
  • Snorkelers in the Bahamas often spot the brightly colored oldwife among coral reefs.

Examples

  • The fisherman caught an oldwife while trawling off the Caribbean coast.

  • Many local recipes highlight the firm flesh of the oldwife for grilling or baking.

  • The oldwife fish is often found near coral reefs.

  • Many fishermen enjoy catching oldwives for their unique flavor.

  • Many local recipes highlight the firm flesh of the oldwife for grilling or baking.

  • Snorkelers in the Bahamas often spot the brightly colored oldwife among coral reefs.

  • The fisherman caught an oldwife while trawling off the Caribbean coast.

Synonyms

Lagodon rhomboides
vsoldwife
  • Specialized
9.9

A small spiny fish called pinfish that lives in bays in the southeastern United States

refers to the same species but emphasizes tropical Atlantic range and strong dorsal spines

Surface Forms

oldwife singular
oldwives plural

Morphology

oldwife = old + wife (opaque) = old + wife

Although formed from the clear words 'old' + 'wife', the compound is a conventional name for a species and its meaning as a fish is not derivable by learners from the components.

Etymology

Oldwife (fish) may be a name people gave when the fish's busy, chattering behaviour or bright patterns reminded them of an 'old woman' talking among the reef. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine a small, noisy fish 'chattering' in the coral, which ties the parts old + wife to the fish's behaviour.