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

Bivalves — clams, mussels and oysters — can seem intimidating if you’re not used to cooking them.

From Washington Post

Check over the mussels to look for “gapers” — mussels that are open.

From Washington Post

You’ll find good mussel farms in the Atlantic off the northeastern coast of the United States as well as in the Pacific Northwest.

From Washington Post

The most important varieties are likely the California mussel and the blue or common mussel.

From Popular-Science

Blue mussels can be found on both of America’s coasts, and prefer the cooler waters of Maine and New England.

From Popular-Science

Page Six says they dined on mussel soup, crayfish and artichoke risotto at a tony Venetian restaurant.

From The Daily Beast

The Chinese and natives of the place chew this nut with betel-leaf and calcined mussel-shells.

From Project Gutenberg

There was no welcome on Mrs. Mussel's mat, but I'm still glowing.

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Mussel gets five of it and the rest I may waste in riotous living.

From Project Gutenberg

The boats that were hovering about on the sea looked no bigger than mussel shells.

From Project Gutenberg

The Starfish merely presses the mussel into its mouth, cleans out the shells, and throws them away.

From Project Gutenberg

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.