horseshoe crab
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noun
a large marine arthropod, Limulus polyphemus, of shallow coastal waters of eastern North America and eastern Asia, having both compound and simple eyes, book gills, a stiff tail, and a brown carapace curved like a horseshoe: a living fossil related to the woodlouse.
Nearby words
horseshit, horseshoe, horseshoe arch, horseshoe back, horseshoe bat, horseshoe crab, horseshoe fern, horseshoe fistula, horseshoe kidney, horseshoe magnet, horseshoes
Origin of horseshoe crab
First recorded in 1765–75
Also called king crab.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for horseshoe crab
But the king- or horseshoe-crab has still no true jaws, but uses the upper joints of its legs for chewing.
The Whence and the Whither of Man|John Mason Tyler
British Dictionary definitions for horseshoe crab
horseshoe crab
noun
any marine chelicerate arthropod of the genus Limulus, of North America and Asia, having a rounded heavily armoured body with a long pointed tail: class MerostomataAlso called: king crab
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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