# lobster

Pronunciation: US say "LOB-stur" /ˈlɑb.stɚ/; UK say "LOB-stuh" /ˈlɒb.stə/

## Noun

1. A hard-shelled marine crustacean of the family Nephropidae with large claws, dark green or blue-black turning bright red when cooked, eaten as seafood.
   - Simple: A large sea animal with a hard shell and two big front claws, eaten as food.
   - _Fishermen hauled a heavy lobster from the trap before dawn._
   - _A boiled lobster shifts from blue-black to brilliant red on the plate._
2. A hard, spiny-shelled crustacean of the family Palinuridae that lacks claws and is pinkish red, eaten as seafood; also called the rock lobster.
   - Simple: A sea animal like a lobster but with a spiny shell and no big claws, eaten as food.
   - _The fishmonger said this lobster, unlike the Maine kind, has no claws to crack._
   - _Grilled tails from a freshly caught lobster are a delicacy where the clawless, spiny variety thrives._
5. A flattened, hard-shelled crustacean of the family Scyllaridae that resembles a lobster, with broad plate-like antennae; called the slipper lobster.
   - Simple: A flat sea animal that looks a bit like a lobster, with wide flat front parts.
   - _Cooks in some regions prize the small, flattened lobster for its sweet tail meat._
   - _The net brought up a clawless lobster with broad, plate-like antennae._
6. A small, flattened crustacean that resembles a lobster, with a long tail usually tucked beneath the body.
   - Simple: A small sea animal like a tiny lobster, with its tail folded under its body.
   - _Deep-sea cameras often catch the small lobster clinging to cold-water coral._
   - _A lobster no longer than a thumb darted between the rocks, tail folded under._
7. A twenty-dollar note in Australian currency, nicknamed for its reddish-orange color. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In Australia, a twenty-dollar note, named because of its reddish-orange color.
   - _He tucked a lobster under the windshield wiper as a tip._
   - _By Friday night his pocket held nothing but a single crumpled lobster._
8. A soldier or officer of the imperial British Army, so named for the red or scarlet uniform. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A soldier in the old British army, named for the bright red uniform.
   - _Colonial militia traded fire with the lobsters defending the river crossing._
   - _Each lobster in the column carried a musket and a heavy pack._

## Verb

3. To fish for lobsters, typically using baited traps set on the sea floor.
   - Simple: To catch lobsters in the sea, often using special traps.
   - _Local crews lobster these waters from spring through fall._
   - _He taught his son to lobster from a small wooden boat._

## Adjective

4. Bright red in color, especially skin reddened by sunburn.
   - Simple: Bright red, like skin that got too much sun.
   - _By evening his back was lobster from the relentless midday sun._
   - _She flushed lobster with embarrassment at the sudden attention._

## Origin

From Middle English 'loppestere', from Old English 'loppestre', of uncertain origin. Some think it is a corruption of Latin 'locusta' (grasshopper, locust) plus the Old English feminine agent suffix '-estre'; in Latin 'locusta marina' ('sea-grasshopper') named a kind of crustacean. Alternatively it may derive from Old English 'loppe' (spider) plus the same suffix '-estre'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lobster (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).