crab
UK: kræb | US: kræb
n. a crustacean with a broad carapace, stalked eyes, and five pairs of legs, the first pair of which are modified as pincers
n. (informal) a bad-tempered or irritable person
vi. to move sideways or obliquely, like a crab
vt. to fish for crabs
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The word "crab" originates from Old English crabba, which is of Germanic origin, related to Dutch krab and German Krabbe. It is a compact, ancient term with no clear separable morphemes in modern English. The word has retained its core meaning referring to the marine animal, while also developing figurative uses (e.g., irritability) and verbal senses (e.g., sideways movement). Its persistence across Germanic languages suggests an early Proto-Germanic root (*krabb-), likely imitative of the creature’s scuttling motion or grasping claws.
The children found a crab scuttling along the beach.
Don’t be such a crab—cheer up!
The truck crabbed sideways on the icy road.
They spent the afternoon crabbing off the pier.
Her boss is a real crab in the mornings.