any of various globular soft-bodied crabs of the genus Pinnotheres and related genera that live commensally in the mantles of certain bivalves
pea crab in American English
noun
any of several tiny crabs of the family Pinnotheridae, the female of which lives as a commensal in the shells of bivalve mollusks
Word origin
[1830–40]This word is first recorded in the period 1830–40. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: ante, baby talk, isometric, nationalism, showcase