Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “crabs” come from?

Crabs comes from Old English crabba, which derives from Proto-Indo-European grobʰ-, related to Ancient Greek κάραβος meaning a type of crustacean.

crabs (English): plural of crab; pubic lice; Third-person singular...

Definitions

  1. plural of crab; pubic lice; Third-person singular...

Ancestry of “crabs”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcrabA crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having...
2EnglishcarabinerA metal link with a gate that can open and close,...
3GermanKarabinerhakencarabiner, snap hook, snap-link
4GermanKarabinercarbine; Karabinerhaken: carabiner
5Frenchcarabinerifle; mistress of a cavalry soldier
6Frenchcarabincarabineer; medical student
7Frenchescarrabingrave digger
8Middle Frenchscarabéebeetle
9LatinscarabaeusA scarab, black dung beetle, revered in Ancient...
10Ancient Greekκάραβοςa kind of beetle, probably a longhorn beetle; a...
Every word from Ancient Greek κάραβος →