# crab

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɹæb/ · frequency rank #10,185

## Definitions
1. Any crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace.
2. The meat of this crustacean, served as food; crabmeat.
3. Various other animals that resemble true crabs:
4. Various other animals that resemble true crabs:
5. A bad-tempered person.
6. An infestation of pubic lice (Pthirus pubis).
7. Ellipsis of crab angle.
8. A playing card with the rank of three.
9. A position in rowing where the oar is pushed under the rigger by the force of the water.
10. A defect in an outwardly normal object that may render it inconvenient and troublesome to use.
11. An unsold book that is returned to the publisher.
12. On an insignia, a coat of arms symbol representing a senior rank.
13. A member of the Crips.

## Etymology
From Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba (“crab; crayfish; cancer”), from Proto-West Germanic *krabbō, from Proto-Germanic *krabbô, from *krabbōną (“to creep, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *grobʰeh₂yéti (“scratch, claw at”), a metathesised o-grade of *gerbʰ- (“to carve, scratch”). More at carve.
Cognates
See also Dutch krab, Low German Krabb, Danish krabbe, Swedish krabba.
Further cognates with frequentative-infix are Saterland Frisian krabbelje (“to creep, crawl”), Dutch krabbelen (“to scratch”) and German krabbeln (“to crawl”). Possibly related to English creep and Swedish krypa (“to creep, crawl”) etc.
Other origins have also been suggested, see Ancient Greek κάραβος (kárabos) (regarding the possibility of a substrate origin) and Persian خرچنگ (regarding possible ideophonic origin); compare also Old Armenian քարբ (kʻarb), German Krebs.

## Easily confused with
- **cry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cry)
- **Cub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cub)
- **CSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-csa)
- **CRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crt)
- **CRM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crm)
- **CRS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crs)
- **CRO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cro)
- **CTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cta)
- **CRI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cri)
- **cru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cru)
- **crew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crew)
- **crap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crap)
- **crop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crop)
- **Cruz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cruz)
- **crow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crow)
- **curb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-curb)
- **crib** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crib)
- **cram** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cram)
- **crux** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-crux)
- **Cree** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crab-vs-cree)

## Common misspellings (4)
`ccrab`, `crba`, `crrab`, `rcab`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crab