noun
crayfish
KRAY-fihsh
noun
1
A small, freshwater crustacean resembling a miniature lobster, often eaten as food or kept in aquariums.
"They caught crayfish in the creek with a simple net."
"The restaurant served crayfish tails in a spicy sauce."
2
In some regions, a marine spiny lobster.
"South African "crayfish" on menus usually refers to a type of rock lobster."
How to Use Crayfish
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small lobster-like freshwater animal (or, regionally, a spiny sea lobster).
UK vs US
Called "crawdad" or "crawfish" in parts of the southern United States; "crayfish" is standard in the UK and Australia.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
crayfishes plural, crayfish plural
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Etymology
From Old French crevice, reshaped in English under the influence of the word "fish" — it has no real connection to fish at all.