crustacean

noun

crus·​ta·​cean ˌkrə-ˈstā-shən 

: 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

crustacean adjective

Examples of crustacean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cocaine can be toxic to mollusks, crustaceans, and bony fish. —Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 19 July 2024

Visit the Inn’s Sea Glass Restaurant for Maine Lobster Week Sept. 22- 29 to savor Maine's most famous crustacean and help support the local lobster industry. —Roger Sands, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2024

Anyone with a shellfish allergy: Many joint supplements include the compound glucosamine, which is usually made from the shells of crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. —Kelsey Kunik, Rd, Health, 10 Aug. 2024

Lobsters have layers of red, yellow and blue carotenoid pigment that give the crustaceans their blotchy coloring. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

crustacean

noun

crus·​ta·​cean ˌkrəs-ˈtā-shən 

: any of a large class of mostly water-dwelling arthropods (as lobsters, shrimps, crabs, wood lice, water fleas, and barnacles) having an exoskeleton of chitin or chitin and a compound of calcium

crustacean adjective