crustacean

[ kruh-stey-shuhn ]

/ krʌˈsteɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for crustacean on Thesaurus.com

noun

any chiefly aquatic arthropod of the class Crustacea, typically having the body covered with a hard shell or crust, including the lobsters, shrimps, crabs, barnacles, and wood lice.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the crustaceans.

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Origin of crustacean

1825–35; <New Latin Crustace(a) (neuter plural) hard-shelled ones (see crust, -acea) + -an

Words nearby crustacean

crushproof, crush-resistant, crusie, Crusoe, crust, crustacean, crustaceous, crustal, crustal plate, crusted, crustose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use crustacean in a sentence

The global patchwork of protected areas they propose is big enough to preserve the 28,594 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, dragonflies and crustaceans for which the researchers have data.
Can people protect as much space as nature needs?|Jonathan Lambert|January 21, 2021|Science News For Students
If you’ve ever dined on tasty crab, lobster or shrimp, you’ve eaten a crustacean.
Explainer: Insects, arachnids and other arthropods|Curtis Segarra|January 19, 2021|Science News For Students
Scientists have been finding these plastic bits in all kinds of animals, from tiny crustaceans to birds and whales.
Polluting microplastics harm both animals and ecosystems|Alison Pearce Stevens|November 3, 2020|Science News For Students
When hauled up, the sides close from the top, catching crustaceans inside.
14 wild edibles you can pull right out of the ocean|By Bob McNally/Field & Stream|October 19, 2020|Popular-Science

Octopuses, which prey on crustaceans, worms and mollusks, bob in and out of the bones.
Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets|Stephen Ornes|October 15, 2020|Science News For Students
Here are four secrets to bring your crustacean habit to a new level.
Four Things You Didn't Know About Shrimp|Jane Frye|June 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Another edible crustacean of considerable economic importance is the blue crab.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
A small crustacean very much resembling the lobster, but less indigestible.
The Devil's Dictionary|Ambrose Bierce
He replied that it was only a familiar species of phyllopodous crustacean, known as Eubranchipus vernalis.
A Year in the Fields|John Burroughs
In form it suggested a huge crab, though it was not very much like any crustacean I had ever seen.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931|Various
The eye of a crustacean is a very complicated structure, commonly described as a compound eye.
The Sea Shore|William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for crustacean

crustacean

/ (krʌˈsteɪʃən) /

noun

any arthropod of the mainly aquatic class Crustacea, typically having a carapace hardened with lime and including the lobsters, crabs, shrimps, woodlice, barnacles, copepods, and water fleas

adjective Also: crustaceous

of, relating to, or belonging to the Crustacea

Word Origin for crustacean

C19: from New Latin crūstāceus hard-shelled, from Latin crūsta shell, crust

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for crustacean

crustacean

[ krŭ-stā′shən ]

Any of various widespread arthropods of the class Crustacea that live mostly in water and have a hard shell, a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Crustaceans include crabs, lobsters, shrimp, barnacles, and copepods.

Cultural definitions for crustacean

crustacean

[ (kru-stay-shuhn) ]

A class of arthropods with shells.

notes for crustacean

Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish are crustaceans.

crustacean

Origin of crustacean

Words nearby crustacean

Words related to crustacean

How to use crustacean in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crustacean

Word Origin for crustacean

Scientific definitions for crustacean

Cultural definitions for crustacean

notes for crustacean