crawfish

C2 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈkɹɔˌfɪʃ/ UK /ˈkrɔːfɪʃ/ See IPA manual

Freq #34440

Meanings

1

noun
chiefly US: a small freshwater crustacean resembling a lobster; a crayfish

Children found a crawfish beneath a stone at the creek's edge.
2

noun
a spiny lobster or another lobsterlike marine crustacean

The diver saw a large crawfish sheltering in the reef.
3

verb
US informal: to retreat, back away, or withdraw from a commitment

He crawfished when the argument became dangerous.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · chiefly us: a small... crayfishcrawdad

2 noun · a spiny lobster or another... spiny lobster

3 verb · us informal: to retreat,... backpedal retreatback out

Opposites

advancestand firm

Word family

Forms crawfished

Derived forms crawfisher

Related forms crayfishcrawdadlobster

Etymology

A folk-etymological alteration of crayfish, earlier crevis or crevice from Old French crevice. Because the final syllable sounded like fish, English reshaped the word accordingly. The American retreating verb compares backward movement with a crawfish's motion.

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style General Vocabulary

External links

# crawfish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɹɔˌfɪʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkrɔːfɪʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 34440

## Meanings
1. chiefly US: a small freshwater crustacean resembling a lobster; a crayfish
2. a spiny lobster or another lobsterlike marine crustacean
3. US informal: to retreat, back away, or withdraw from a commitment

## Examples
- Children found a crawfish beneath a stone at the creek's edge.
- The diver saw a large crawfish sheltering in the reef.
- He crawfished when the argument became dangerous.

## Synonyms
- crayfish
- crawdad
- spiny lobster
- backpedal

## Antonyms
- advance
- stand firm

## Derived Forms
- crawfisher

## Related Forms
- crayfish
- crawdad
- lobster

## Etymology
A folk-etymological alteration of crayfish, earlier crevis or crevice from Old French crevice. Because the final syllable sounded like fish, English reshaped the word accordingly. The American retreating verb compares backward movement with a crawfish's motion.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

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