crustacean

noun

crus·ta·cean | \ ˌkrə-ˈstā-shən

Definition of crustacean

: 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

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Race attendees can place bets on the Parsons' lobster contender of their choice and watch as the crustaceans crawl through a Plexiglas tank to the finish line. — chicagotribune.com, "6 peculiar and patriotic Fourth of July celebrations across the country," 1 July 2019 Wilcockson explains that scientists hypothesized the crustaceans use their antennae to navigate via the sun, which has been shown to be the case in monarch butterflies. — Douglas Main, National Geographic, "Why oysters close on the full moon—and more odd lunar effects on animals," 17 Apr. 2019 Shrimp, crab and fish can move to other areas, but animals that live on the sea floor like certain crustaceans and worms cannot, stressing the food web and threatening the jobs that depend on these waters. — Jen Christensen, CNN, "The Gulf could see one of the largest dead zones in history this year," 10 June 2019 It's even got little legs that could stand up on a table like a crustacean. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Cute Crab Multitool Is Perfect for Your Picnic," 16 Nov. 2016 The researchers, from Cornell University, studied simpler and more common animals like frogs and small crustaceans that perform a breaching maneuver. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Build Underwater Jumping Robot," 23 Nov. 2018 Silent killers carried by the currents, wrapping themselves around reefs and claiming the lives of millions of marine creatures great and small, from sponges and tiny crustaceans to dolphins, sharks and whales. — Washington Post, "Cleaning the seabed: Divers halt the carnage of ‘ghost’ nets," 8 June 2018 The Adélie penguins that live across the coast of Antarctica and nearby islands love to eat tiny pinkish crustaceans called krill. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "You can join the scientific quest to track penguin poop from space. It could help protect the species.," 12 Dec. 2018 The snailfish diet includes of amphipods, tiny crustaceans which are known to hold microplastics. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Discover Trippy New Translucent Fish at the Bottom of the Ocean," 10 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crustacean.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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11 Jul 2019

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The first known use of crustacean was in 1835

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crustacean

noun

English Language Learners Definition of crustacean

technical : a type of animal (such as a crab or lobster) that has several pairs of legs and a body made up of sections that are covered in a hard outer shell

See the full definition for crustacean in the English Language Learners Dictionary

crustacean

noun

crus·ta·cean | \ ˌkrəs-ˈtā-shən

Kids Definition of crustacean

: any of a large group of mostly water animals (as crabs, lobsters, and shrimps) with a body made of segments, a tough outer shell, two pairs of antennae, and limbs that are jointed