Shrimps

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small aquatic crustacean that is widely consumed as food, often characterized by its elongated shape and delicate flavor, which also refers to juvenile members of various species in marine environments
2. These diminutive sea creatures, found in both salt and freshwater, are a favored delicacy in many cuisines, and the term can describe the young stages of different aquatic organisms as well
3. Small, often pinkish crustaceans commonly found in oceans or rivers, these creatures are popular in culinary dishes and can also denote the early life stages of certain marine species

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "shrimp" is that its original sense was closer to "a puny person" than to a sea creature. Middle English "schrimpe" meant "shrimp" and also "puny person," and the name seems to have been applied to the little crustacean because of its small, wizened size. The word likely traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "shrivelled," which also gave Old English "scrimman," "to shrink," the source of the modern "scrimp." The sense of shrinking runs through related Germanic words. Middle High German "schrimpf" meant "a scratch, minor wound," and Norwegian "skramp" was used of a thin horse or a thin man, while Swedish "skrympa" means "to shrink." The shared picture is of something drawn in, dried up, or diminished, which suits a tiny creature that curls up when it is lifted from the water.

Synonyms: prawns, crevices, seafood, shellfish, crustaceans