noun
- any of various decapods with four pairs of legs, one pair of pincers, a flattish shell, and a short, broad abdomen folded under its thorax
- any of other similar arthropods, as the horseshoe crab
- the edible part of a crab
- crab louse
- Informal infestation by crab lice: often with the
- any of various machines for hoisting heavy weights
- Aeron. the apparent sideways motion of an aircraft with respect to the ground when headed into a crosswind
Origin:
ME crabbe < OE crabba < IE base *grebh-, *gerebh-, to scratch: see graphic
intransitive verb crabbed, crabbing
to fish for crabs; catch crabs
transitive verb
Aeron. to head (an aircraft) into a crosswind in order to counteract drift, thus causing apparent sideways motion with respect to the ground