mollusc

/ mɒˈlʌskən; ˈmɒləsk /

noun

1. any invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, having a soft unsegmented body and often a shell, secreted by a fold of skin (the mantle). The group includes the gastropods (snails, slugs, etc), bivalves (clams, mussels, etc), and cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopuses, etc)

Derived Forms

• molluscan, adjectivenoun
• ˈmollusc-ˌlike, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mollusc¹

C18: via New Latin from Latin molluscus, from mollis soft

Example Sentences

Sea slugs are a type of shell-less marine mollusc renowned for their remarkable variety and beauty.

From BBC

Chemically speaking, its formation begins with a mollusc extracting calcium and carbonate ions from water.

From Science Daily

He recalled dishes considered delicacies such as donkey meat and abalones - a type of mollusc - being flown in from Pyongyang.

From BBC

That's why so many old-school chefs in both Portugal and southern Italy add wine corks to their octopus because the natural enzymes in the cork draw out moisture from the mollusc's tendons and help tenderize its meat.

From Salon

But green groups in particular have warned about the difficulty of reviewing the large number of EU-era environmental laws, covering areas such as mollusc farming, border checks on imported salamanders, and rules for importing hay.

From BBC