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gambero

shrimp, prawn

noun GAHM-beh-roh Rare

Also means

crayfish

Usage Note

Gambero covers both freshwater crayfish and saltwater shrimp/prawns in Italian — a single word where English distinguishes several species. A more specific term for shrimp is gamberetto (the diminutive). The idiom fare come i gamberi ('to go backwards like a crab') describes someone or something regressing, since shrimp swim tail-first.

Examples

"Ho ordinato una zuppa di gamberi."

Natural Translation

I ordered a shrimp soup.

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