backfin

noun

back·​fin ˈbak-ˌfin How to pronounce backfin (audio)
: white crabmeat from the area of the body near the hind swimming legs
Faidley's sells a crab cake made from claw meat for $4.50 and one made from backfin for $7.95 …R. W. Apple Jr., New York Times, 19 Feb. 2003
The beauty of backfin crab meat is its white, sweet chunkiness, but even the best quality crab must be picked over for bits of cartilage and shell that manage to elude skillful packers.Judith Huxley, Washington Post, 8 May 1983

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of backfin was in 1938

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Cite this Entry

“Backfin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backfin. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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