noun / verb
scallop
SKAL-uhp/ˈskæləp/
A marine bivalve with a ridged fan-shaped shell.
The scallop holds its ridged, fan-shaped shell slightly open.
Etymology
Old French escalope named a shell or protective covering; English applied it to the edible animal enclosed in a distinctive shell. Its deeper ancestry is probably Germanic.
In context
I've got some scallop shells here lots of the bivalves these are the ones with shells in two pieces the ones we eat
More examples
- Scallops can swim by rapidly opening and closing their shells.
- We order grilled scallops with lemon and butter.
- They go scalloping in the bay during the open season.
Forms
scallop · scallops · scalloped · scalloping
Similar words
- bivalve
- A broader term for mollusks with two hinged shells.
- shellfish
- Includes other edible shelled animals, such as clams and shrimp.