purple shore crab

noun

See under shore crab.

Origin of purple shore crab

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

shore crab

noun

any of numerous crabs that live along the shoreline between the tidemarks, as Hemigrapsus nudus (purple shore crab), of the Pacific coast of North America.

Origin of shore crab

First recorded in 1840–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018