crayfish

noun

cray·​fish ˈkrā-ˌfish How to pronounce crayfish (audio)
1
: any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans (especially families Astacidea, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae) resembling the lobster but usually much smaller
2

Illustration of crayfish

Illustration of crayfish
  • crayfish 1

Examples of crayfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The latter includes corn left behind in harvested fields and macroinvertebrates such as worms and crayfish. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Among the species identified as the most likely invaders were the alewife, zebra mussel and red swamp crayfish. Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 But catfish actively hunt live fish, crayfish and insects, too. Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 Last year, an Alabama teenager may have discovered a previously unknown whale species on her family’s property, and two Tennessee college students identified what may be a new crayfish. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024 From March to October, anglers can enjoy the sound of smallmouth peeling line off their reels for hours on end using crankbaits, jerk baits, jigs, soft plastics, streamers, leeches, live worms and pretty much anything that looks like a crayfish. Jordan Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 With all those appendages and wings and arms flapping away on the fall, a Brush Hog can represent a crayfish, a lizard, a juicy hellgrammite, or a sculpin to a hungry bass. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 Plus, in these environments, crayfish are a primary food source. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 More than 90 crayfish species have been identified in Tennessee to date. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crayfish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from Middle English crevis, from Anglo-French creveis, escreveice, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German krebiz crab — more at crab

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of crayfish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near crayfish

Cite this Entry

“Crayfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crayfish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crayfish

noun
cray·​fish ˈkrā-ˌfish How to pronounce crayfish (audio)
1
: any of numerous freshwater crustaceans that are related to but usually much smaller than the lobster
2

More from Merriam-Webster on crayfish

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