Crayfish Definition

Origin of Crayfish

• Alteration (by folk-etymology, influenced by fish) of Middle English crevis, from Old French crevice ("crayfish"; > Modern French: écrevisse), from Old Frankish *krebitja (“crayfish”), diminutive of Old Frankish *krebit (“crab”), from Proto-Germanic *krabitaz (“crab, cancer”), from Proto-Indo-European *grebʰ-, *gerebʰ- (“to scratch, crawl”). Akin to Old High German krebiz ("edible crustacean, crab"; > Modern German Krebs (“crab”)), Middle Low German krēvet (“crab”), Dutch kreeft (“crayfish, lobster”), Old English crabba (“crab”). More at crab.

  From Wiktionary

• By folk etymology from Middle English crevise from Old French crevice perhaps from Old High German krebiz edible crustacean gerbh- in Indo-European roots

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition