Word Story
A prawn is a small to medium-sized marine crustacean with a segmented body, a fan-shaped tail, long antennae, and a thin shell that turns pink and opaque when cooked. In British, Australian, and South Asian contexts, it is the everyday term for creatures that Americans often call shrimp, and it can also refer specifically to larger examples of the group. The meat is sweet, firm, and delicately briny, which makes it popular in everything from garlic-butter sautés and coconut curries to cold platters and grilled skewers. One classic real-world setting is the prawn cocktail: chilled cooked prawns in a tangy pink sauce, served in a glass with lettuce and lemon, often as a starter. Coastal markets sell them fresh or frozen, and in some places prawning is a favorite recreational activity, though most people encounter them simply as a curved pink highlight on a dinner plate.