crustacean

noun

crus·​ta·​cean ˌkrə-ˈstā-shən 

: any of a large class (Crustacea) of mostly aquatic mandibulate arthropods that have a chitinous or calcareous and chitinous exoskeleton, a pair of often much modified appendages on each segment, and two pairs of antennae and that include the lobsters, shrimp, crabs, wood lice, water fleas, and barnacles

crustacean adjective

Examples of crustacean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to New York Invasive Species Information, these crustaceans were first documented in the eastern U.S. Chesapeake Bay in 2006 at the mouth of Maryland's Patapsco River. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 11 June 2024

Our appetite for the fat little crustacean has increased for decades, with the average American now eating almost six pounds per year, far more than any other ocean product. —Erik Vance, New York Times, 28 May 2024

Birds eat invertebrates, like caterpillars, beetles, spiders, worms or crustaceans. —Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024

This discovery illuminates the world of crustacean communication—and factors that could disrupt it, says Damian Elias, an animal behavior researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. —Kiley Price, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

crustacean

noun

crus·​ta·​cean ˌkrəs-ˈtā-shən 

: any of a large class of mostly water-dwelling arthropods (as lobsters, shrimps, crabs, wood lice, water fleas, and barnacles) having an exoskeleton of chitin or chitin and a compound of calcium

crustacean adjective