Native Greek speaker here: at least in modern Greek, αστακός is lobster.

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edited Nov 17, 2019 at 1:56

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This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from άστακόςαστακός (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly is unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from άστακός (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly is unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from αστακός (astakós); Greek for lobster. Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

Notice removed Authoritative reference needed by Mari-Lou A

occurred May 4, 2015 at 11:48

Bounty Ended with user118519's answer chosen by Mari-Lou A

occurred May 4, 2015 at 11:48

corrected Greek transliteration

Source Link

edited May 1, 2015 at 7:26

Mari-Lou A

92.9k
92
325
590

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from αστακ´oςάστακός (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly is unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from αστακ´oς (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly is unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from άστακός (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly is unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

Eited title, added Greek transcription

Source Link

edited May 1, 2015 at 6:33

Mari-Lou A

92.9k
92
325
590

How did "lobster" mean two different species get called "lobster"?

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from astakósαστακ´oς (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly seems to be quite ambiguousis unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

How did two different species get called "lobster"?

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from astakós; Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly seems to be quite ambiguous). Astakos is the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac

How did "lobster" mean two different species?

This live crustacean is called astice in Italian. The one on the right is aragosta.

picture of crustacean labeled "this is an astice" picture of a crustacean labeled "and this is an aragosta"

They look very different from one another. The Italian dictionary describes the astice as having a deep (intense) blue colour (turchino) with yellow splotches and large claws, whereas the aragosta has a reddish body, five pairs of legs, long antennae and an incredibly hard shell that covers its body and head. To me it looks like a giant insect. In English, however, they are both called lobster and if you eat lobster in either a British or an American restaurant, they will often present you with an astice. An article in the London Evening Standard clearly shows the restaurateur (an Italian!) with two large ‘astices’ in his hands. :))

I don't care which species they give me, frankly they're both delicious, but if I were to invite an Italian friend to a Boston restaurant and order lobster for both of us, she might be dismayed at seeing an astice on her plate.

The Italian term astice is derived from αστακ´oς (astakós); Greek for prawn or lobster (which one exactly is unclear). Astakos is also the name of a Greek fishing bay.

The Online Etymological Dictionary says (emphasis mine)

lobster (n.) marine shellfish, Old English loppestre "lobster, locust," corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "lobster, locust," by influence of Old English loppe "spider," a variant of lobbe. The ending of Old English loppestre is the fem. agent noun suffix (as in Baxter, Webster; see -ster), which approximated the Latin sound. [. . .] OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in French (langouste now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French "lobster" and "locust;" a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes) and Old Cornish (legast).

picture of a cooked lobster on a plate with lemon slices

Questions

Why is there only one term in English for these two different species?
To me the Boston "black" lobster (astice) looks more like a scarab beetle or a crab than a locust. How did this crustacean get its English name?
If I wanted to order aragosta in an English speaking restaurant, what should I ask for?

images: Così cucino io; Alimentipedia and The Food Almanac