tail fan

noun

Zoology.

1. the fanlike posterior appendage of crayfish and lobsters, consisting of a telson and two uropods, used for rapid backward propulsion.

tail fan

noun

1. the fanned structure at the hind end of a lobster or related crustacean, formed from the telson and uropods

Word History and Origins

Origin of tail fan¹

First recorded in 1890–95