crab

1. n. One of the brachyuran Crustacea. They are mostly marine, and usually have a broad, short body, covered with a strong shell or carapace. The abdomen is small and curled up beneath the body. Source: opted

2. n. The zodiacal constellation Cancer. Source: opted

3. a. A crab apple; -- so named from its harsh taste. Source: opted

4. a. A cudgel made of the wood of the crab tree; a crabstick. Source: opted

5. a. A movable winch or windlass with powerful gearing, used with derricks, etc. Source: opted

6. a. A form of windlass, or geared capstan, for hauling ships into dock, etc. Source: opted

7. a. A machine used in ropewalks to stretch the yarn. Source: opted

8. a. A claw for anchoring a portable machine. Source: opted

9. v. t. To make sour or morose; to embitter. Source: opted

10. v. t. To beat with a crabstick. Source: opted

11. v. i. To drift sidewise or to leeward, as a vessel. Source: opted

12. a. Sour; rough; austere. Source: opted

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