Langosta
/lɑŋˈɡoʊstə/noun
A spiny marine crustacean, or in some languages a locust.
Did you know?Spanish langosta can mean both “lobster” and “locust,” and that eerie overlap goes back through Latin to a word for a long-bodied, leaping creature-like insect or crustacean.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leng-
“to bend, curve, or be crooked”
Latin
Latin
locusta
“a locust; also a lobster or crayfish in some late usage”
Old Spanish
Old Spanish
langosta
“locust; later also lobster”
Modern Spanish
Spanish
langosta
“lobster; locust”
Explore more surprising origins