Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “crab” come from?

I need to work through this carefully. The chain provided is actually for "carabiner," not "crab," but let me check what the rules require. The user is asking me to write for the headword "crab" but the chain given traces "carabiner." However, looking at the chain more carefully: English carabiner ← Old English crabba ← German Haken ← French carabine ← Proto-Indo-European grobʰ- ← Ancient Greek κάραβος ← Proto-Indo-European keg- ← Latin scarabaeus Wait, this chain seems problematic (Old English crabba connects to German Haken? That's unusual). But my job is to state only what the chain supports. Since the headword is "crab" and the chain starts with "English carabiner," there's a mismatch. However, I notice "

crab (English): A crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having...

Definitions

  1. A crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having...

Ancestry of “crab”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcarabinerA metal link with a gate that can open and close,...
2GermanKarabinerhakencarabiner, snap hook, snap-link
3GermanKarabinercarbine; Karabinerhaken: carabiner
4Frenchcarabinerifle; mistress of a cavalry soldier
5Frenchcarabincarabineer; medical student
6Frenchescarrabingrave digger
7Middle Frenchscarabéebeetle
8LatinscarabaeusA scarab, black dung beetle, revered in Ancient...
9Ancient Greekκάραβοςa kind of beetle, probably a longhorn beetle; a...

Words derived from “crab”

  • crabs
  • crabby
  • crabbing
  • crabgrass
  • crabapple
  • crablike
  • crabwise
  • crabeater
  • crabber
  • crabbiness
  • crabwalk
  • crabstick
  • crabbily
  • crabhole
  • crabbish
  • crabfish
  • crabble
  • crablet
  • crab tree
  • crabling
  • hermit crab
  • crabburger
  • anticrab
  • krab
Every word from Ancient Greek κάραβος →