Definition of CRAYFISH

crayfish

Plural: crayfish, crayfishes

Noun

  • A freshwater crustacean, also known as a crawfish or crawdad.
  • warm-water lobsters without claws; those from Australia and South Africa usually marketed as frozen tails; caught also in Florida and California
  • tiny lobster-like crustaceans usually boiled briefly
  • small freshwater decapod crustacean that resembles a lobster
  • large edible marine crustacean having a spiny carapace but lacking the large pincers of true lobsters
  • Any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans in superfamily Astacoidea or Parastacoidea, resembling the related lobster but usually much smaller.
  • Any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans in superfamily Astacoidea or Parastacoidea, resembling the related lobster but usually much smaller.
  • A freshwater crustacean (family Cambaridae), sometimes used as an inexpensive seafood or as fish bait.
  • A rock lobster (family Palinuridae).
  • A freshwater crayfish (family Parastacidae), such as the gilgie, marron, or yabby.
  • The species Thenus orientalis of the slipper lobster family (Scyllaridae).

Verb

  • To catch crayfish.
  • Alternative spelling of crawfish (to backpedal, desert, or withdraw).

Examples

  • I couldn’t decide whether to play CRAYFISH, CRAWDAD, or just swap.

Origin / Etymology

Alteration (by folk etymological influence of fish) of Middle English crevis, from Old French crevice ("crayfish"; > Modern French: écrevisse), from Frankish *krebitja (“crayfish”), diminutive of Frankish *krebit (“crab”), from Proto-Germanic *krabitaz (“crab, cancer”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ-, *gerebʰ- (“to scratch, crawl”).
Akin to Old High German krebiz ("edible crustacean, crab"; > Modern German Krebs (“crab”)), Middle Low German krēvet (“crab”), Dutch kreeft (“crayfish, lobster”), Old English crabba (“crab”). More at crab.

Synonyms

crawdad, crawdaddy, crawfish, ecrevisse, langouste, rock lobster, sea crawfish, spiny lobster, Moreton Bay bug, crawldad, crawlfish, mudbug, yabby

Scrabble Score: 19

crayfish: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
crayfish: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
crayfish: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 18

crayfish: valid Words With Friends Word