Crawfish

Crawfish
Crawfish Craw"fish` (kr[add]"f[i^]sh`), Crayfish Cray"fish` (kr[=a]"f[i^]sh`), n.; pl. {-fishes} or {-fish}. [Corrupted fr. OE. crevis, creves, OF. crevice, F. ['e]crevisse, fr. OHG. krebiz crab, G. krebs. See {Crab}. The ending -fish arose from confusion with E. fish.] (Zo["o]l.) Any decapod crustacean of the family {Astacid[ae]} (genera {Cambarus} and {Cambarus}), resembling the lobster, but smaller, and found in fresh waters. Crawfishes are esteemed very delicate food both in Europe and America. The North American species are numerous and mostly belong to the genus {Cambarus}. The blind crawfish of the Mammoth Cave is {Cambarus pellucidus}. The common European species is {Astacus fluviatilis}.

Syn: crawdad, crawdaddy. [1913 Webster]

2. tiny lobsterlike crustaceans usually boiled briefly.

Syn: crawdad, ecrevisse. [WordNet 1.5]

3. a large edible marine crustacean having a spiny carapace but lacking the large pincers of true lobsters.

Syn: spiny lobster, langouste, rock lobster, crayfish, sea crawfish. [WordNet 1.5]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • crawfish — v. i. to back out in a humilating manner; as, We ll have to crawfish out from meeting with him. Syn: retreat, back out, back away, crawfish out, withdraw. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crawfish — [krô′fish΄] n. pl. crawfish or crawfishes (see FISH) CRAYFISH vi. Informal to withdraw from a position; back down …   English World dictionary

  • crawfish — 1620s, generally dismissed by British etymologists as a 19c. Amer.Eng. variant of CRAYFISH (Cf. crayfish), but it apparently existed in M.E …   Etymology dictionary

  • crawfish — [[t]krɔ͟ːfɪʃ[/t]] N COUNT (crawfish is both the singular and the plural form.) A crawfish is a small shellfish with five pairs of legs which lives in rivers and streams. You can eat some types of crawfish. [AM] Syn: crayfish (in BRIT, use… …   English dictionary

  • crawfish — Ⅰ. craw·fish (krô’fĭsh′) n. Chiefly Southern & Midland US ▸ Variant of CRAYFISH(Cf. ↑crayfish). intr.v. craw·fished, craw·fish·ing, craw·fish·es Informal ▸ To withdraw from an undertaking. Ⅱ …   Word Histories

  • crawfish — UK [ˈkrɔːˌfɪʃ] / US [ˈkrɔˌfɪʃ] noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms crawfish : singular crawfish plural crawfishes a crayfish …   English dictionary

  • crawfish — /ˈkrɔfɪʃ/ (say krawfish) noun (plural crawfish or crawfishes) 1. → crayfish. –verb (i) 2. to move in the manner of a crawfish, close to the ground with arms and legs outspread. {earlier cravish, crafish, from Old French crevice. Compare crayfish} …  

  • Crawfish — Écrevisse de Louisiane Écrevisse de Louisiane …   Wikipédia en Français

  • crawfish — /kraw fish /, n., pl. (esp. collectively) crawfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) crawfishes, v. n. 1. crayfish. v.i. 2. Informal. to back out or retreat from a position or undertaking. [1615 25; earlier crafish, cravish,… …   Universalium

  • crawfish — craw|fish [ˈkro:ˌfıʃ US ˈkro: ] n plural crawfish a ↑crayfish …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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