crab
noun /kræb/
/kræb/
- [countable] a sea creature with a hard shell, eight legs and two pincers (= curved and pointed arms for catching and holding things). Crabs move sideways (= towards the side) on land. see also hermit crabTopics Fish and shellfishb2
enlarge image - [uncountable] meat from a crab, used for food
- dressed crab
- crabs(informal) the condition caused by having lice (called crab lice) in the hair around the genitals
Word OriginOld English crabba, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch krabbe, and more distantly to Dutch kreeft and German Krebs; also to crab in the sense to grumble.