mussel

[ muhs-uhl ]

noun

1. any bivalve mollusk, especially an edible marine bivalve of the family Mytilidae and a freshwater clam of the family Unionidae.

mussel

/ ˈmʌsəl /

noun

1. any of various marine bivalves of the genus Mytilus and related genera, esp M. edulis ( edible mussel ), having a dark slightly elongated shell and living attached to rocks, etc,
2. any of various freshwater bivalves of the genera Anodonta, Unio, etc, attached to rocks, sand, etc having a flattened oval shell (a source of mother-of-pearl). The zebra mussel , Dreissena polymorpha, can be a serious nuisance in water mains

Word History and Origins

Origin of mussel¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English muscle < Vulgar Latin *mūscula, variant of Latin mūsculus little mouse, sea mussel. See muscle

Word History and Origins

Origin of mussel¹

Old English muscle, from Vulgar Latin muscula (unattested), from Latin musculus, diminutive of mūs mouse

Example Sentences

State workers discovered golden mussels attached to equipment and buoys in the Port of Stockton last month while carrying out routine water quality tests.

From Los Angeles Times

In each country where the mussels have taken over, the initial introduction also appeared to be from ships — on the hulls or from ballast water release.

From Los Angeles Times

The group was especially pleased to learn that sea robins were so effective at covering up filtered mussel extract, even down to single amino acids.

From Salon

The seabed there contains carbon-storing muds, maerl beds and horse mussel reefs which form part of a rich and complex underwater ecosystem.

From BBC

I will forever be amazed by her surf-and-turf challenge dish of frog legs and mussels — simultaneously bonkers and brilliant.

From Salon

Related Words

• clam
• conch
• crawfish
• crustacean
• lobster
• mollusk
• oyster
• prawn
• scallop
• shrimp
• snail

More About Mussel

Where does mussel come from?

Take a quick gander at your muscles. Do you think they look anything like … mice? And do you think mice resemble  mussels, as in the edible mollusk? This may sound odd to you, but to the ancient Romans, it would have made perfect sense.

This is because both the words muscle and mussel come from musculus, which literally means “little mouse” (mus means and is related to “mouse”).

As far as we can tell, the ancient Romans thought that the movement of a muscle, especially when flexing, looked like a mouse was running under your skin. If you don’t know how muscles work, it sounds as reasonable a guess as any.

Now to the mollusk: the ancient Romans apparently also thought that mussels, the shellfish, looked like little mice. The word mussels also comes from that same Latin noun as muscle: musculus.

The roots of these other words may get a rise—of laughter or surprise—out of you. Run on over to our roundup of them at “Weird Word Origins That Will Make Your Family Laugh.”

Did you know … ?

To recap, a mussel is a kind of shellfish and a muscle is a part of the body—neither one are mice. Mussel is a collective name for more than 1,000 species of this type of mollusk. Some species of mussels are eaten as food. This is also the case for other animals that mussels can easily be confused with: clams, oysters, and scallops.

Besides their use as food, mussels are also sought after by humans because, like oysters, they create pearls. But zebra mussels are an invasive species that can harm other animals and clog water mains, resulting in millions of dollars being spent to remove them.