Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Prawn for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Prawn" — noun, pronounced /prɔːn/, with the stress on "prawn".
Narrator: A prawn is a small, ten-legged shellfish that turns pink when cooked.
Narrator: In plain English, it is the seafood in a prawn sandwich.
Narrator: The word appeared in Middle English, and its origin remains unknown.
Narrator: A common collocation is "prawn cocktail", which describes a classic British starter with pink sauce.
Narrator: It differs from "shrimp", because British English uses prawn for larger ones, while American English says shrimp for almost all.
Narrator: In a second, humorous Australian sense, to come the raw prawn means to try to deceive someone.
Narrator: Cooking, fishing, restaurants and marine biology all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: a prawn is a small shellfish that British menus love.
Speaker A: Are prawns and shrimps the same thing?
Speaker B: Nearly! PRAWN is an old Middle English word, and in Britain we use it for the bigger ones.
Speaker A: So Americans just say shrimp?
Speaker B: Yes, even for the large ones.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "I'll have the prawn sandwich", a lunch order. "Fry the prawns until they turn pink", a cooking step. "King prawns are more expensive", describing the large kind.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Prawn is countable, so say two prawns, not two prawn, and pronounce it with a long "or" sound, like lawn.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Shrimp is its American cousin, langoustine is its posh twin, and crayfish is the freshwater alternative, but prawn keeps its seaside charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "prawn" in AI prompts — useful for recipe apps and restaurant menus.
Speaker A: How would a recipe app use it?
Speaker B: Ask for clear, timed steps.
Prompt: Write a fifteen-minute garlic prawn recipe for two people with numbered steps and a shopping list.
Speaker A: And restaurant menus?
Speaker B: Allergens are essential.
Prompt: Rewrite this menu so every dish containing prawns is clearly labelled with a crustacean allergen warning.
Speaker A: Could it help translation?
Speaker B: Yes, between British and American English.
Prompt: Convert this British recipe to American English, changing prawn to shrimp and grams to cups.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Inventory systems.
Prompt: Write a SQL query that lists all frozen prawn stock expiring within seven days, ordered by expiry date.
Prawn — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary