Shrimp
/ʃrɪmp/noun
A small marine crustacean, or informally, a very small or slight person.
Did you know?The word’s early history is murky, but it appears in English by the 14th century for the tiny crustacean, and its later slang sense for a small person helped turn size into insult.
Etymological Timeline
14th Century
Middle English
shrimp
“A small crustacean.”
Early Modern English
English
shrimp
“A tiny person; later, a term for a small or puny person.”
Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*skrimp-
“Likely a root meaning something shrunken, bent, or wrinkled (proposed, not certain).”
Modern English
English
shrimp
“A small marine crustacean, especially one eaten as seafood.”