lobster

Pronunciation: /ˈlɑb.stɚ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun flesh of a lobster
  2. noun any of several edible marine crustaceans of the families Homaridae and Nephropsidae and Palinuridae

Etymology

From Middle English loppestere, lopster, from Old English loppestre, lopustre, lopystre, of uncertain origin. Some believe it to be a corruption of Latin lō̆custa (“grasshopper, locust”) + the Old English feminine agent suffix -estre. In Latin, the phrase lō̆custa marīna (literally "sea-grasshopper") signified a type of crustacean (shrimp or lobster). Alternatively, from Old English lobbe, loppe (“spider”) + the Old English feminine agent suffix -estre, equivalent to lop + -ster.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
shellfish
Narrower (hyponyms)
lobster tail, american lobster, norwegian lobster, european lobster

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