hermit crab

noun

any of numerous crabs, especially of the genera Pagurus and Eupagurus, that protect their soft uncovered abdomen by occupying the castoff shell of a univalve mollusk.

Nearby words

hermetic, hermetically, hermeticism, hermione, hermit, hermit crab, hermit kingdom, hermit of st. augustine, hermit thrush, hermitage, hermite

Origin of hermit crab

First recorded in 1725–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hermit crab

Sometimes you will find that a sea-anemone has fastened itself to the edge of a shell in which a hermit-crab is living.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood
First, there must have been the great change from an ordinary crab to a hermit-crab in all the respects previously pointed out.
Darwin, and After Darwin (Vol. 1 and 3, of 3)|George John Romanes
The Hermit-Crab belonged to a large family called the Crustaceans.
How Sammy Went to Coral-Land|Emily Paret Atwater
The consequence is that a hermit-crab is always very nervous indeed about his tail.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood

In dealing with the Hermit-crab, in short, we are dealing with a case of physiological backsliding.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World|Henry Drummond

British Dictionary definitions for hermit crab

hermit crab

noun

any small soft-bodied decapod crustacean of the genus Pagurus and related genera, living in and carrying about the empty shells of whelks or similar molluscs

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

hermit crab

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of hermit crab

Examples from the Web for hermit crab

British Dictionary definitions for hermit crab

hermit crab

noun