# lobster

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈlɒb.stə/ · frequency rank #12,093

## Definitions
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. Various other crustaceans that resemble true lobsters:
3. Various other crustaceans that resemble true lobsters:
4. Various other crustaceans that resemble true lobsters:
5. A soldier or officer of the imperial British Army (due to their red or scarlet uniform).
6. An Australian twenty-dollar note, due to its reddish-orange colour.

## Etymology
From Middle English loppestere, lopster, from Old English loppestre, lopustre, lopystre, of uncertain origin. Some believe it to be a corruption of Latin lō̆custa (“grasshopper, locust”) + the Old English feminine agent suffix -estre. In Latin, the phrase lō̆custa marīna (literally "sea-grasshopper") signified a type of crustacean (shrimp or lobster).
Alternatively, from Old English lobbe, loppe (“spider”) + the Old English feminine agent suffix -estre, equivalent to lop + -ster.

## Easily confused with
- **loser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lobster-vs-loser)
- **looser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lobster-vs-looser)
- **luster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lobster-vs-luster)
- **Lester** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lester-vs-lobster)
- **lister** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lister-vs-lobster)

## Common misspellings (11)
`lboster`, `llobster`, `lobbster`, `lobsetr`, `lobsster`, `lobsterr`, `lobstre`, `lobstter`, `lobtser`, `losbter`, `olbster`

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