prawn
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɔːn/
ipa: /pɹɔn/
ipa: /pɹɑn/
ipa: /pɹoːn/
rhymes: -ɔːn
Forms: form: prawn
form: prawns
Etymology: First attested early 1400s as various Middle English forms prayne, prane, praune, and prawne, which present no clear cognates in languages other than English. The forms suggest a hypothetical Old English form *prægn, where *æg would have evolved into Middle English *ay, but it is unclear if the word is of Germanic origin, from another European language, or loaned from a substrate. In the Isle of Wight, a word prankle ("prawn") is recorded and thought to be related. Century, following Skeat, suggested transposition of an unrecorded Old French *parne, *perne related to Spanish perna (“a flat shellfish”), Old Italian perna and diminutive pernochie, parnocchie, glossed as "shrimps or prawne, fishes" by John Florio, but the OED considers Florio's entry incorrect and the suggested connection semantically and phonologically implausible.
Sense 3 ("woman with attractive body and unattractive face") is from the idea of discarding the head of a prawn before eating it.
Senses: examples: text: The aphrodisiac nature of prawns is evident in an epigram by the Greek poet Asclepiades.
ref: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 197:
glosses: A crustacean of the suborder Dendrobranchiata.
glosses: A crustacean, sometimes confused with shrimp.
examples: text: She's a prawn!
glosses: Synonym of butterface: A woman with an attractive body but an unattractive face.
synonyms: word: butterface
extra: A woman with an attractive body but an unattractive face
examples: text: This is utter dribble. I've not read much worse than this in a long time - and he admits he doesn't know - "or so I am told". Get real, you prawn.
ref: 1999 August 2, Les Brown, “This old "almah" controversy”, in alt.religion.christian (Usenet):
text: He didn't say he was accused of that, prawn.
ref: 2001 February 1, Ned Latham, “Lovesick Puppy Poetry - Volume 1”, in aus.culture.true-blue (Usenet):
glosses: A fool, an idiot.
Derived terms: taxonomic: Pandalus borealis
word: Aesop prawn
taxonomic: Pandalus platyceros
word: Alaskan prawn
taxonomic: Penaeidae spp.
word: banana prawn
word: come the raw prawn
taxonomic: Palaemon serratus
word: common prawn
word: deep-sea prawn
taxonomic: Pandalus borealis
word: deepwater prawn
taxonomic: Nephrops norvegicus
word: Dublin Bay prawn
taxonomic: Penaeus latisulcatus
word: furrowed prawn
taxonomic: Penaeus monodon
word: giant tiger prawn
taxonomic: Pandalus borealis
word: great northern prawn
word: green prawn
taxonomic: Fenneropenaeus indicus
word: Indian prawn
word: king prawn
taxonomic: Marsupenaeus japonicus
word: kuruma prawn
word: lawn prawn
taxonomic: Palaemon australis
word: long-clawed prawn
taxonomic: Squilla spp.
word: mantis prawn
taxonomic: Macrobrachium malcolmsonii
word: monsoon river prawn
alt: Penaeopsis novae-guineae
word: musical prawn
taxonomic: Macrobrachium nipponense
word: Oriental river prawn
taxonomic: Libanasidus vittatus
word: Parktown prawn
taxonomic: Crangonidae spp.
word: pistol prawn
word: porn and prawn
word: prawn chip
word: prawn cocktail
word: prawn cocktail offensive
word: prawn cracker
word: prawn crisp
word: prawn killer
word: prawn sandwich brigade
word: prawn toast
taxonomic: Penaeidae spp.
word: queen prawn
taxonomic: Palaemon australis
word: river prawn
alt: Haliporoides sibogae
word: royal red prawn
taxonomic: Metapenaeus macleayi
word: school prawn
taxonomic: Crangonidae spp.
word: snapping prawn
alt: Plesionka martia
word: soldier prawn
taxonomic: Pandalus platyceros
word: spot prawn
taxonomic: Penaeus monodon
word: tiger prawn