Word: crab Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba (“crab; crayfish; cancer”), from Proto-West Germanic *krabbō, from Proto-Germanic *krabbô, from *krabbōną (“to scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *grobʰeh₂yéti (“to scratch”), a metathesised o-grade of *gerbʰ- (“to carve, scratch”). More at carve. Cognates See also Dutch krab, Low German Krabb, Danish krabbe, Swedish krabba. Further cognates with frequentative-infix are Saterland Frisian krabbelje (“to creep, crawl”), Dutch krabbelen (“to scratch”) and German krabbeln (“to crawl”). Possibly related to English creep and Swedish krypa (“to creep, crawl”) etc. Other origins have also been suggested, see Ancient Greek κάραβος (kárabos) (regarding the possibility of a substrate origin) and Persian خرچنگ (regarding possible ideophonic origin); compare also Old Armenian քարբ (kʻarb), German Krebs. Pronunciation: /kɹæb/, /ˈkɹab/, /ˈkɾab/, /ˈkɻab/, /ˈkɹɛb/ 1. Any crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. The meat of this crustacean, served as food; crabmeat. Labels: uncountable Example: But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw[…]that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either. 3. Various other animals that resemble true crabs: Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Despite its name, the hermit crab is not a true crab! 4. Various other animals that resemble true crabs: Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A bad-tempered person. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: She so obviously enjoyed every second of the concert that only the most stubborn crab could not have been warmed by her charm. 6. An infestation of pubic lice (Pthirus pubis). Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: Although crabs themselves are an easily treated inconvenience, the patient and his partner(s) clearly run major STD risks. 7. Ellipsis of crab angle. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable Example: The pilot had to hold fifteen degrees of crab during the approach to keep her plane from getting blown off the localizer course. 8. A playing card with the rank of three. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable 9. A position in rowing where the oar is pushed under the rigger by the force of the water. Labels: countable, uncountable 10. A defect in an outwardly normal object that may render it inconvenient and troublesome to use. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: -- "I suppose you wouldn't like to do a locum for a month on the South coast? Three guineas a week with board and lodging." -- "I wouldn't mind," said Philip. -- "It's at Farnley, in Dorsetshire. Doctor South. You'd have to go down at once; his assistant has developed mumps. I believe it's a very pleasant place." There was something in the secretary's manner that puzzled Philip. It was a little doubtful. -- "What's the crab in it?" he asked. Example: Arrested by the low price of another “desirable residence”, I asked “What's the crab?” The agent assured me that there was no crab. I fell in love with this house at sight. Happily, I discovered that it was reputed to be haunted. 11. An unsold book that is returned to the publisher. Labels: countable, dated, uncountable Example: […] the unsold copies may be returned to the original publisher , at a period fixed upon between Christmas and Easter; these returned copies are technically called krebse or crabs, probably, from their walking backwards. […] A says to B, "I have had eight thousand dollars' worth of your publications, three thousand were crabs, that makes five thousand." Example: […] unsold copies and settling the yearly accounts; while for the publisher begins the much dreaded season of "crabs," as […] 12. On an insignia, a coat of arms symbol representing a senior rank. Labels: Singapore, countable, slang, uncountable 13. A member of the Crips. Labels: countable, derogatory, uncountable