lobster

Etymology

From Middle English lopster, from Old English loppestre (“lobster, spider-like creature”), believed to be a corruption of Latin locusta (“lobster, locust”) + the Old English feminine agent suffix -estre; or from Old English lobbe, loppe (“spider”) + the Old English feminine agent suffix -estre, equivalent to lop +‎ -ster. More at lop.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɒb.stə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑb.stɚ/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

lobster (comparative more lobster, superlative most lobster)

1. red-colored, especially from a sunburn.

Noun

lobster (countable and uncountable, plural lobsters)

1. A crustacean of the Nephropidae family, dark green or blue-black in colour turning bright red when cooked, with a hard shell and claws, which is used as a seafood.
2. A crustacean of the Palinuridae family, pinkish red in colour, with a hard, spiny shell but no claws, which is used as a seafood.
3. (slang, historical) A soldier or officer of the imperial British Army (due to their red or scarlet uniform).
4. (slang) An Australian twenty dollar note, due to its reddish-orange colour.

Verb

lobster (third-person singular simple present lobsters, present participle lobstering, simple past and past participle lobstered)

1. To fish for lobsters.

Anagrams

• Bolster, Strobel, Stroble, bolster, bolters, reblots, rebolts, trobles