/ ˈkreɪfɪʃ; NAmE / ( especially BrE ) (also craw·fish NAmE , BrE ) noun
[ C , U ] ( pl. cray·fish , craw·fish ) an animal like a small lobster , that lives in rivers and lakes and can be eaten, or one like a large lobster , that lives in the sea and can be eaten
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French crevice , of Germanic origin and related to German Krebs . In the 16th cent. or earlier the second syllable was altered by association with fish .