king crabn.
/ˈkɪŋ krab/, U.S. /ˈkɪŋ ˌkræb/ 1. Any of the marine arthropods of the family Limulidae; = horseshoe-crab n. at horseshoe n. Compounds 4. Now rare.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > order Xiphosura or Merostomata > [noun] > genus Limulus > member of
king crabc1612
horse-foot1672
Molucca crab1681
sea-louse1681
horse-hoof1699
horseshoe1775
saucepan crab1863
horseshoe-crab1865
fiddle-fish1867
xiphosurid1969
c1612 W. Strachey Hist. Trav. Virginia (1953) i. x. 128 There be twoo sorts of Sea-Crabbes, and the one our people call a king Crabb, and they are taken in Shoall waters... They are a Foote in length and half a foote in breadth.
1664 R. Hubert Catal. Nat. Rarities 21 A King Crab of the Moluccos Island this creature has the eyes on his back.
1698 J. Petiver in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 394 A King Crab of the Molucos Island.
1782 W. André in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 72 440 The Monoculus Polyphemus, or King Crab..frequently grows to a very large size.
1847 D. T. Ansted Anc. World ix. 188 The prawns and the king-crabs of the existing seas.
1873 R. Owen Anat. King Crab 27 According to Dr. Lockwood, the King-crab moults several times during the first year.
1968 Victoria (Texas) Advocate 26 May (Fun Mag.) 2/1 The scientist calls the king crab ‘limulus’ and looks with amazement at the way the poor old dope has to breathe—by means of ‘book gills,’ the most primitive arrangement possible.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Crustacea > [noun] > subclass Malacostraca > division Thoracostraca > order Decapoda > suborder Brachyura (crab) > member of family Maiideae (spider-crab)
MaiaOE
frill1611
sea spider1666
spider-crab1710
king crab1815
maian1839
majoid1852
spider1853
sea-toad1857
1815 Trans. Linn. Soc. 11 327 Anglice, King-crab, Thornback.
1890 in Cent. Dict. King-crab,..2. a British decapod crustacean, Maia squinado.
3. Any of various large crablike crustaceans of the family Lithodidae, typically found in cold waters and valued as food; esp. the Alaskan king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus. Also as a mass noun: the flesh of such crustaceans as food.
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1923 North-China Herald 8 Dec. 695/2 The king crab measures from three to five feet from tip to tip of the huge claws, or pinchers, and in weight is from four to 12 pounds.
1950 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 5 Aug. 11/3 The giant king crab weighs up to 16 pounds and has a span of from 50 to 54 inches.
1959 Life 2 Mar. 51/2 (advt.) 28 delicious ways to serve King Crab.
1978 W. B. McCloskey Highliners (1980) xxi. 269 King crabs jammed too tight to move soon become the prey of sea lice that eat them alive.
2013 Silverkris (Singapore Airlines) Aug. 75/1 You can savour dishes like tagliatelle with Alaskan king crab.
2014 B. Baxter King Crabs 6 Many king crabs are also found off the coast of Siberia, in Russia, and in the waters around Japan.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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