Where Does the Word "Crawfish" Come From and What Does Crayfish Mean In Old French?

Either way you say it, American with w or British with y, the names “Crawfish” and “Crayfish” are derived from Old French crevice or crevisse, meaning “crab,” a term that then covered almost any of the larger crustaceans.

And because of the propensity of the critter to navigate rearward, we have made a verb of the term, using it figuratively to indicate an attempt, usually conspicuous, to withdraw oneself from a stand or a commitment that has become undesirable.

where does the word crawfish come from and what does crayfish mean in old french

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Where Does the Word “Crawfish” Come From and What Does Crayfish Mean In Old French?

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