purple shore crab
noun
See under shore crab.
Origin of purple shore crab
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Words nearby purple shore crab
purple passion,
purple patch,
purple prose,
purple sage,
purple sandpiper,
purple shore crab,
purple trillium,
purple-fringed orchid,
purpleheart,
purplish,
purport
Definition for purple shore crab (2 of 2)
shore crab
noun
any of numerous crabs that live along the shoreline between the tidemarks, as Hemigrapsus nudus (purple shore crab), of the Pacific coast of North America.
Origin of shore crab
First recorded in 1840–50