crayfish

Meaning

Noun

1. Any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans in superfamily Astacoidea or Parastacoidea, resembling the related lobster but usually much smaller.
2. (New-England, Pennsylvania) Any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans in superfamily Astacoidea or Parastacoidea, resembling the related lobster but usually much smaller.
3. (Australia, New-Zealand, South-Africa) A rock lobster (family Palinuridae).
4. (Australia) A freshwater crayfish (family Parastacidae), such as the gilgie, marron, or yabby.
5. (Singapore) The species Thenus orientalis of the slipper lobster family (Scyllaridae).

Verb

1. (intransitive) To catch crayfish.
2. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of crawfish (to backpedal, desert, or withdraw).

Synonyms

crawfish

lobster

🦞

crawdad

prawn

crab

🦀

rock lobster

langouste

spiny lobster

shrimp

🦐

ecrevisse

crawdaddy

sea crawfish

crawfish

shellfish

craw daddy

cray

crustacean

scorpion

🦂

sea crayfish

Cancer

♋

Astacus

freshwater crayfish

Old World crayfish

Translations

écrevisse

cangrejo

🦀

gambero

Krebs

rivierkreeft

cancer

🦀

caranguejo

🦀

cangrejo de río

kreeft

🦞

Flusskrebs

granchio

🦀

zoetwaterkreeft

lagostim

langoustine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɹeɪˌfɪʃ/

Etymology

Cognate with Old High German: krebiz

Cognate with Middle Low German: krēvet

Cognate with Dutch: kreeft

Cognate with Old English: crabba

In summary

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