Măl'a-cŏs'tra-cān, n.

n. [Gr. μαλακός, soft, and ὀστρακον, a hard shell; Fr. malacostかracé.] (Zoöl.) A crustacean belonging to the division Malacostraca in Cuvier's system, which included all crustaceans except the entomostracans. The term is sometimes applied to crustaceans in general. Dana.