noun
large shrimp; king prawn; lobster
Refers to large shrimp or prawns, especially in culinary contexts. In some regions or older usage, can also refer to lobster, but modern Japanese usually distinguishes lobster as 伊勢海老 (いせえび).
今夜の夕食は大海老の天ぷらだ。
Tonight's dinner is large shrimp tempura.
市場で新鮮な大海老を買った。
I bought fresh king prawns at the market.
Compound of 大 (おお, 'big') and 海老 (えび, 'shrimp/prawn'). The kanji 海老 literally means 'sea old man', a reference to the curved back of a shrimp resembling an elderly person.