I. ˈshrimp, especially Southern ˈsrimp noun
( plural shrimps or shrimp )
Etymology: Middle English shrimpe; akin to Middle Low German schrempen to contract, wrinkle, Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up
Date: 14th century
1. : any of numerous mostly small and marine decapod crustaceans (suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata) having a slender elongated body, a compressed abdomen, and a long spiny rostrum and including some (especially family Penaeidae) that are commercially important as food ; also : a small crustacean (as an amphipod or a branchiopod) resembling the true shrimps
2. : a very small or puny person or thing
• shrimp·like -ˌlīk adjective
• shrimpy ˈshrim-pē, ˈsrim- adjective
II. intransitive verb
Date: 1808
: to fish for or catch shrimps