tanner crab

noun

: any of several spider crabs (genus Chionoecetes)
especially : snow crab

Examples of tanner crab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But market dynamics have drastically devalued this year’s tanner crab catch, experts said. — Nathaniel Herz, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023 While this year’s Kodiak tanner crab quota is the biggest since 1986, last year’s was sharply less, at 1.1 million pounds. — Nathaniel Herz, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

probably from New Latin tanneri, specific epithet of Chionoecetes tanneri, from Zera L. Tanner †1906 American naval officer

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tanner crab was in 1947

Rhymes for tanner crab

See All Rhymes for tanner crab

Browse Nearby Words

tanner crab
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tanner crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tanner%20crab. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All