Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Leo and Gemini.
  • noun The fourth sign of the zodiac in astrology.
  • noun One who is born under this sign.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun astronomy A constellation of the zodiac supposedly shaped like a crab.
  • proper noun astrology The zodiac sign for the crab, ruled by the Moon and covering June 22 - July 22 (tropical astrology) or July 16 - August 15 (sidereal astrology).
  • noun Someone with a Cancer star sign
  • proper noun A taxonomic genus within the family Cancridae — true crabs distinguished by the presence of a single posterolateral spine (on the edge of the carapace, towards the rear), anterolateral spines with deep fissures (on the carapace edge, towards the front), and a short extension of the carapace forward between the eyes.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin; see canker.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin cancer ("crab"), from Ancient Greek καρκίνος (karkinos, "crab").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin cancer ("crab"), from Ancient Greek καρκίνος (karkinos, "crab").

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