Crustacean
/krʌˈsteɪ.ʃən/noun
A member of a large arthropod group that includes crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and barnacles.
Did you know?The word entered English through French scientific Latin, and its root is the same one behind “crust,” because early naturalists were naming these creatures by their hard outer covering.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kreus-
“to begin to freeze or harden; to form a crust”
Latin
Latin
crusta
“a crust, rind, shell, or hard outer layer”
Late Latin
Latin
crustaceus
“crusted or shell-covered”
18th Century
French
crustacé
“a shellfish or crusted animal”
18th Century
English
crustacean
“a shellfish-like animal with a hard outer covering”