Shrimp

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ʃɹɪmp/

Definitions

1. A small crustacean with a slender body and long antennae that lives in water and is commonly eaten as food
2. A type of small aquatic crustacean known for its elongated body and curled tail, often used in cooking and found in various freshwater and saltwater environments
3. It refers to a diminutive shellfish that typically inhabits both fresh and saltwater, and is popular in various culinary dishes for its delicate flavor

Etymology: The creature's name may come from its shrivelled look. Middle English "schrimpe" meant "shrimp" but also "puny person," and it is possibly related to Middle Low German "schrempen," meaning "to wrinkle." Those words trace back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "shrivelled," from the same ancestry as the English verb "to shrink" and the word "scrimp." The link to "scrimp" is the surprising part. A shrimp, pulled from the water and dried or cooked, curls and wrinkles, and speakers seem to have seen that small, shrunken body as the defining feature. The same sense of shrinking shows up in relatives across the Germanic languages, including Middle High German "schrimpfen," meaning "to shrink, dry up," and Swedish "skrympa," meaning "to shrink."

Synonyms: prawn, crustacean, seafood