Gad
it
Kids
English
Sign in
Kids
EN
crustacean
Definitions
1
noun
A
type
of
animal
that
usually
lives
in
water
and
has
a
hard
shell
,
jointed
legs
,
and
no
backbone
,
such
as
crabs
,
lobsters
,
and
shrimps
.
Crabs
and
lobsters
are
common
examples
of
crustaceans
.
The
marine
biologist
studied
the
behavior
of
crustaceans
in
their
natural
habitat
.
Shrimps
are
small
crustaceans
that
are
often
found
in
both
fresh
and
saltwater
.
Image
Kids' explanation
Compose a sentence
Save to Notebook
Quiz
Word games
Word Origin
Language
Latin
Original word
crustaceus
Word parts
crusta (shell) + -aceus (having the nature of)
Originally meant
having a shell
Background
The term 'crustacean' comes from the Latin word 'crustaceus', which means having a shell. It was used to describe animals with hard outer shells, like crabs and lobsters.