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Webster 1913 Edition

Crayfish

{

Craw′fishˊ

(kra̤′fĭshˊ)
,

Cray′fishˊ

(krā′fĭshˊ)
}
,
Noun.
;
pl.
-fishes
or
-fish
.
[Corrupted fr. OE.
crevis
,
creves
, OF.
crevice
, F.
écrevisse
, fr. OHG.
krebiz
crab, G.
krebs
. See
Crab
. The ending
-fish
arose from confusion with E.
fish
.]
(Zool.)
Any decapod crustacean of the family
Astacidæ
(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.

Cray′fish

(krā′fĭsh)
,
Noun.
(Zool.)
See
Crawfish
.

Definition 2024

crayfish

crayfish

English

Some crayfish.

Alternative forms

Noun

crayfish ‎(plural crayfishes or crayfish)

  1. Any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans in superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea, resembling the related lobster but usually much smaller.
    1. (New England, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) A freshwater crustacean (family Cambaridae), sometimes used as an inexpensive seafood or as fish bait.
  2. (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) A rock lobster (family Palinuridae).

Usage notes

The term crayfish predominates in the region of New England and in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In much of the United States—in the South, especially in Louisiana and Texas; in the Midwest and in the West—crawfish predominates. In a belt stretching across Kentucky through Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and in Oregon and northern California, the term crawdad predominates.[1]

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

crayfish ‎(third-person singular simple present crayfishes, present participle crayfishing, simple past and past participle crayfished)

  1. Alternative form of crawfish (to backpedal, desert, or withdraw)

See also

References

  1. ↑

Etymology

Alteration (by folk etymology, influenced by fish) of Middle English crevis, from Old French crevice ("crayfish"; > Modern French: écrevisse), from Old Frankish *krebitja ‎(“crayfish”), diminutive of Old Frankish *krebit ‎(“crab”), from Proto-Germanic *krabitaz ‎(“crab, cancer”), from Proto-Indo-European *grebʰ-, *gerebʰ- ‎(“to scratch, crawl”). Akin to Old High German krebiz ("edible crustacean, crab"; > Modern German Krebs ‎(“crab”)), Middle Low German krēvet ‎(“crab”), Dutch kreeft ‎(“crayfish, lobster”), Old English crabba ‎(“crab”). More at crab.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkreɪˌfɪʃ/

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