What does "shrimp" mean?
Shrimp: (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of numerous species of macruran Crustacea belonging to Crangon and various allied genera, having a slender body and long legs. Many of them are used as food. The larger kinds are called also prawns. See Illust. of Decapoda. (b) In a more general sense, any species of the macruran tribe Caridea, or any species of the order Schizopoda, having a similar form. (c) In a loose sense, any small crustacean, including some amphipods and even certain entomostracans; as, the fairy shrimp, and brine shrimp. See under Fairy, and Brine.
Additional senses
- 2.Figuratively, a little wrinkled man; a dwarf; -- in contempt. This weak and writhled shrimp. Shak. Opossum shrimp. (Zoöl.) See under Opossum. -- Spector shrimp, or Skeleton shrimp (Zoöl.), any slender amphipod crustacean of the genus Caprella and allied genera. See Illust. under Læmodopoda. -- Shrimp catcher (Zoöl.), the little tern (Sterna minuta). -- Shrimp net, a dredge net fixed upon a pole, or a sweep net dragged over the fishing ground.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00