- prawn
- prawn (n.) early 15c., prayne, of unknown origin.
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
prawn
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Prawn — Prawn, n. [OE. prane, of unknown origin; cf. L. perna a sea mussel.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of numerous species of large shrimplike Crustacea having slender legs and long antenn[ae]. They mostly belong to the genera {Pandalus}, {Pal[ae]mon},… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
prawn — [pro:n US pro:n] n especially BrE a small pink ↑shellfish that can be eaten American Equivalent: shrimp ▪ a prawn sandwich ▪ prawn cocktail (=a small dish of prawns in a sauce with some salad) … Dictionary of contemporary English
prawn — prawn; prawn·er; … English syllables
prawn´er — prawn «prn», noun, verb. –n. any one of several shellfish used for food. Prawns are much like shrimp but larger. They are related to shrimp. –v.i. to fish for or catch prawns. ╂[Middle English prayne, and prane; origin uncertain] –prawn´er, noun … Useful english dictionary
prawn — [ prɔn ] noun count a SHELLFISH (=a sea animal with a hard shell around it) that looks like a large SHRIMP and can be eaten … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
prawn — ► NOUN ▪ a marine crustacean which resembles a large shrimp. ORIGIN of unknown origin … English terms dictionary
prawn — [prôn] n. [ME prane < ?] a large shrimp or other similar crustacean vi. to fish for prawns prawner n … English World dictionary
prawn — The literal definition of prawn (a word which appears in the Middle English period, but whose origin is unknown) as an edible shellfish is obviously part of standard English. It is, however, the figurative use of the word to describe a fool or… … Australian idioms
Prawn — For other uses, see Prawn (disambiguation). Dendrobranchiata Temporal range: Famennian–Recent … Wikipedia
prawn — /prɔn / (say prawn) noun 1. any of various shrimp like decapod crustaceans of the genera Palaemon, Penaeus, etc. (suborder Macrura), certain of which are used as food. 2. Colloquial a weak, spiritless, insignificant person: he s a bit of a prawn …
