Cancrine

/ˈkæŋkraɪn/ adjective

Definition

Relating to, resembling, or characteristic of crabs or the crab family.

Etymology

From Latin 'cancer' (crab) plus the adjective suffix '-ine' (relating to). Similar construction to 'feline' (relating to cats) or 'canine' (relating to dogs).

Kelly Says

The suffix '-ine' appears in 'canine' and 'feline,' but 'cancrine' is much rarer because we say 'crab-like' instead—it's a casualty of irregular English word choices, where sometimes the Latin form loses out to Germanic compounds.

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