: 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
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The spill has taken place in a productive fishing area that supports the largest crustacean fishery in Europe, with about £15 million of live lobster landed annually.—Lauren Lowman, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2025 According to the university, the USDA funding supports 4-H, a social and educational youth program; training to help farmers manage pests; and research to ensure the sustainability of Maine’s lobster industry, among other programs.—Reuters, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025 On Tuesday, the university said the USDA had frozen funding that could affect research on everything from the contamination of Maine farms by forever chemicals to the sustainability of Maine’s lobster industry.—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 11 Mar. 2025 The fishermen who sued the nonprofit argued that Maine’s lobster industry had taken steps to modify gear, and that Seafood Watch’s rating was based on outdated and irrelevant data.—Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lobster
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English loppestre, from loppe spider
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of lobster was
before the 12th century
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