horseshoe crab
noun
a large marine arthropod, Limulus polyphemus, of shallow coastal waters of eastern North America and eastern Asia, having both compound and simple eyes, book gills, a stiff tail, and a brown carapace curved like a horseshoe: a living fossil related to the woodlouse.
Also called
king crab.
Origin of horseshoe crab
First recorded in 1765–75
Words nearby horseshoe crab
horseshit,
horseshoe,
horseshoe arch,
horseshoe back,
horseshoe bat,
horseshoe crab,
horseshoe fern,
horseshoe fistula,
horseshoe kidney,
horseshoe magnet,
horseshoes
Example sentences from the Web for horseshoe crab
But the king- or horseshoe-crab has still no true jaws, but uses the upper joints of its legs for chewing.
The Whence and the Whither of Man |John Mason Tyler
British Dictionary definitions for horseshoe crab
horseshoe crab
noun
any marine chelicerate arthropod of the genus Limulus, of North America and Asia, having a rounded heavily armoured body with a long pointed tail: class Merostomata
Also called: king crab