CRAYFISH

crayfish, crawfish, crawdad, crawdaddy

(noun) small freshwater decapod crustacean that resembles a lobster

crayfish, crawfish, crawdad, ecrevisse

(noun) tiny lobster-like crustaceans usually boiled briefly

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

crayfish (plural crayfishes or crayfish)

Any of numerous freshwater decapod crustaceans in superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea, resembling the related lobster but usually much smaller.

(New England, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) A freshwater crustacean (family Cambaridae), sometimes used as an inexpensive seafood or as fish bait.

(AU, NZ, South Africa) A rock lobster (family Palinuridae).

Usage notes

The term crayfish predominates in the region of New England and in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In much of the United States—in the South, especially in Louisiana and Texas; in the Midwest and in the West—crawfish predominates. In a belt stretching across Kentucky through Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and in Oregon and northern California, the term crawdad predominates.

Synonyms

• (freshwater crustaceans): crawdad, crawldad, crawfish, crawlfish, mudbug, yabby (Australia)

Verb

crayfish (third-person singular simple present crayfishes, present participle crayfishing, simple past and past participle crayfished)

to catch crayfish

Alternative form of crawfish (to backpedal, desert, or withdraw)

Source: Wiktionary

Craw"fish` (kr"fsh`), Cray"fish` (kr"fsh`), n.; pl. -fishes or -fish. Etym: [Corrupted fr. OE. crevis, creves, OF. crevice, F. , fr. OHG. krebiz crab, G. krebs. See Crab. The ending -fish arose from confusion with E. fish.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any crustacean of the family Astacidæ, resembling the lobster, but smaller, and found in fresh waters. Crawfishes are esteemed very delicate food both in Europe and America. The North American species are numerous and mostly belong to the genus Cambarus. The blind crawfish of the Mamoth Cave is Cambarus pellucidus. The common European species is Astacus fluviatilis.

Cray"fish (kr"fsh), n. (Zoöl.)

Definition: See Crawfish.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition