American lady crab
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən ˈleɪdi kræb/
- US
:
cangrejo dama americano
- The American lady crab is known for its colorful, spotted shell.
Examples
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We spotted an American lady crab scurrying across the sand at low tide.
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Children collected shells and watched a tiny American lady crab burrow into the beach.
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The American lady crab is known for its vibrant colors.
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I saw an American lady crab while walking on the beach.
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Children collected shells and watched a tiny American lady crab burrow into the beach.
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We spotted an American lady crab scurrying across the sand at low tide.
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The American lady crab is known for its colorful, spotted shell.
Synonyms
101
1.0
A sea animal with a flat shell, five pairs of legs, and front claws
A bright spotted crab that lives on sandy beaches along the US Atlantic coast
A small crab with bright purple spots on its shell that lives on sandy Atlantic beaches
A small crab with bright spots on its shell found on sandy beaches
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase names a concrete type of animal: 'crab' supplies the referent and 'American' indicates origin, while 'lady' functions as a modifying element in a common-name compound. This adjective+noun+noun naming pattern is cross-linguistically familiar and allows a B1 learner who knows the constituents to infer it denotes a kind of crab from America.
Etymology
American lady crab likely comes from the crab's small, bright, spotted shell that reminded people of a 'lady's' dress or of a spotted 'lady' insect. The word American shows where it lives and crab names the animal, so the name describes a small, brightly spotted crab found on American beaches.