lobster

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: lob=ster

CIDE DICTIONARY

lobster, n. [AS. loppestre, lopystre prob., corrupted fr. L. locusta a marine shellfish, a kind of lobster, a locust. Cf. Locust.].

•  Any large macrurous crustacean used as food, esp. those of the genus Homarus; as the American lobster (Homarus Americanus), and the European lobster (Homarus vulgaris). The Norwegian lobster (Nephrops Norvegicus) is similar in form. All these have a pair of large unequal claws. The spiny lobsters of more southern waters, belonging to Palinurus, Panulirus, and allied genera, have no large claws. The fresh-water crayfishes are sometimes called lobsters.  [1913 Webster]
•  As a term of opprobrium or contempt: A gullible, awkward, bungling, or undesirable person.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

Lobster caterpillar (Zoöl.), the caterpillar of a European bombycid moth (Stauropus fagi); -- so called from its form. Lobster louse (Zoöl.), a copepod crustacean (Nicothoë astaci) parasitic on the gills of the European lobster.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

lobster, n. & v.
--n.
1 any large marine crustacean of the family Nephropidae, with stalked eyes and two pincer-like claws as the first pair of ten limbs.
2 its flesh as food.
--v.intr. catch lobsters.

Idiom

lobster-pot a basket in which lobsters are trapped. lobster thermidor a mixture of lobster meat, mushrooms, cream, egg yolks, and sherry, cooked in a lobster shell.

Etymology

OE lopustre, corrupt. of L locusta crustacean, locust: thermidor f. the name of the 11th month of the Fr. revolutionary calendar

THESAURUS

lobster

Chilopoda, Chordata, Dungeness crab, Echiuroidea, Ectoprocta, Entoprocta, Japanese crab, Monoplacophora, Nemertinea, Phoronidea, blue point, clam, coquillage, crab, crawdad, crawfish, crayfish, gawk, klutz, langouste, limpet, littleneck clam, looby, lout, lubber, lug, lummox, lump, mussel, oaf, oyster, palooka, periwinkle, prawn, quahog, scallop, shellfish, shrimp, snail, soft-shell crab, steamer, whelk