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Glite Dictionary
tadpole shrimp

tadpole shrimp

9.7
A small fresh water animal like a shrimp with a wide shell and a tadpole-like body
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : camarón renacuajo
  • Scientists studied the behavior of tadpole shrimp in temporary pools.

Examples

  • The pond was full of tadpole shrimp after the spring rains.

  • A tadpole shrimp can survive in harsh conditions where few other creatures live.

  • The tadpole shrimp is fascinating to study.

  • Have you ever seen a tadpole shrimp?

  • Scientists studied the behavior of tadpole shrimp in temporary pools.

  • The pond was full of tadpole shrimp after the spring rains.

  • A tadpole shrimp can survive in harsh conditions where few other creatures live.

Synonyms

Notostraca
vstadpole shrimp
  • Specialized
9.9

A small freshwater animal like a tadpole shrimp with a broad shield-shaped shell

is the common name for members of that order that look like tadpoles
Triopidae
vstadpole shrimp
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small freshwater animals like tadpole shrimps

is a general name that covers the whole order not only one family

Surface Forms

tadpole shrimp singular
tadpole shrimps plural

Morphology

tadpole + shrimp

The phrase is fully compositional: it denotes a shrimp that resembles a tadpole, so a B1 learner who knows 'tadpole' and 'shrimp' can infer it refers to a small crustacean shaped like a tadpole. The noun+noun compound follows regular English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, making the meaning predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Tadpole shrimp comes from how the animal looks: it has a wide shell and a long tail like a tadpole, but is a shrimp-like creature so people called it a shrimp. So the name means 'a small water animal that looks like a tadpole'.