lobster

[lob-ster]

noun

plural

lobster ,

plural

lobsters .

1. any of various large, edible, marine, usually dull-green, stalk-eyed decapod crustaceans of the family Homaridae, especially of the genus Homarus, having large, asymmetrical pincers on the first pair of legs, one used for crushing and the other for cutting and tearing: the shell turns bright red when cooked.

2. spiny lobster.

3. any of various similar crustaceans, as certain crayfishes.

4. the edible meat of these animals.

lobster

/ ˈlɒbstə /

noun

1. any of several large marine decapod crustaceans of the genus Homarus, esp H. vulgaris, occurring on rocky shores and having the first pair of limbs modified as large pincers

2. any of several similar crustaceans, esp the spiny lobster

3. the flesh of any of these crustaceans, eaten as a delicacy

Word History and Origins

Origin of lobster¹

before 1000; Middle English lopster, Old English loppestre literally, spidery creature ( loppe spider ( lob ¹ ) + -stre -ster ); lop ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lobster¹

Old English loppestre, from loppe spider

Example Sentences

Towers of onion rings stacked high, bone-in rib-eyes, bubbling pots of lobster mac and cheese, fries and meats drowning in au poivre.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A common claim is that food stamps are spent on luxury foods like lobster.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Sandwiched between laborers, he noshed on a cheeseburger as caterers circled the area with platters of hot dogs and steamed lobster.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some decapods, like lobsters and shrimp, have a thick cylindrical abdomen with a muscular tail for snapping backwards at high speed and burrowing on the seabed.

Read more on BBC

In one ad, he tapped Morgan Spector, the bearded star of the HBO hit “The Gilded Age,” to roast the rich for whining about socialism while chomping on lobster.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• clam 
• conch 
• crawfish 
• crustacean 
• mollusk 
• mussel 
• oyster 
• prawn 
• scallop 
• shrimp 
• snail