Crabbers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or group engaged in catching or harvesting crabs for commercial or personal use
2. an individual who participates in the activity of crab fishing or crabbing as a profession or hobby
3. individuals who not only capture crustaceans but may also engage in their processing or preparation for consumption

Etymology: The word is simply "crab" with the agent suffix "-er," so "crabber" means one who catches crabs, and "crabbers" is its plural. The suffix came into English from Old English "-ere," itself descended from Latin "-arius" through Proto-Germanic, and it attaches freely to nouns to name people by their occupation, as in "baker" or "fisher." The source also records a second possible origin: a separate verb "crab," meaning to be ill-tempered or to complain, from which "crabber" could take the same suffix to mean a grumbler. That sense is the one the word is least known for, and it is unrelated to crustaceans. The crustacean reading is the one that fits the meaning given here.