opossum shrimp

opossum shrimp

noun
any small, shrimplike crustacean of the order Mysidacea, the females of which carry their eggs in a pouch between the legs.

Origin:
1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Opossum shrimp is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Collins
World English Dictionary
opossum shrimp
 
n
any of various shrimplike crustaceans of the genera Mysis, Praunus, etc, of the order Mysidacea, in which the females carry the eggs and young around in a ventral brood pouch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

opossum shrimp

any member of the crustacean order Mysidacea. Most of the 450 known species live in the sea; a few live in brackish water; and fewer still live in fresh water. Most are 1 to 3 cm (about 0.4 to 1.2 inches) long. The name opossum shrimp derives from the females' brood pouch, in which young larvae spend several weeks.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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