lobster

lob·ster

noun, often attributive \ˈläb-stər\

: an ocean animal that has a long body, a hard shell, and a pair of large claws and that is caught for food

: the meat of the lobster eaten as food

Full Definition of LOBSTER

1

:  any of a family (Nephropidae and especially Homarus americanus) of large edible marine decapod crustaceans that have stalked eyes, a pair of large claws, and a long abdomen and that include species from coasts on both sides of the North Atlantic and from the Cape of Good Hope

2

:  spiny lobster

— lob·ster·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

Examples of LOBSTER

1. I had lobster for dinner.

Illustration of LOBSTER

Origin of LOBSTER

Middle English, from Old English loppestre, from loppe spider

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with LOBSTER

mobster

lobster

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

American lobster (Homarus americanus)—(Top) Douglas P. Wilson; (bottom) John H. Gerard

Any of numerous species of marine shrimplike decapods that are bottom-dwellers and mostly nocturnal. Lobsters scavenge for dead animals but also eat live fish, small mollusks and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates, and seaweed. One or more pairs of legs are often modified into pincers, usually larger on one side than the other. True lobsters have a distinct snout on the upper body shell. The American lobster (Homarus americanus) and scampi are the most commercially important, being highly prized as food. The American lobster, found from Labrador to North Carolina, weighs about 1 lb (0.5 kg) and is about 10 in. (25 cm) long when caught in shallow water. Most deepwater specimens weigh about 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg); some may weigh 40 lbs (20 kg). See also shellfish.