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DictionaryseashellShell of a sea animal
noun

seashell

SEE-shel/ˈsiːʃel/

The hard outer shell of a sea mollusk.

The ridged seashell rests on wet sand.

Detailed ridged marine seashell with visible opening resting on wet beach sand, natural color.
Etymology
seaOld Englishsea, lake
+shellOld Englishseashell, eggshell

The compound identifies a shell by its marine setting. Its shell element already named both seashells and eggshells in Old English, so sea specifies which kind of hard outer covering is meant.

In context

The Royal Institution30:50
there's a seashell in this picture which is not really sliding along slowly like a snail because actually inside its shell is a crab
Under the Sea - With Helen Scales

More examples

  • The child examined the seashell’s ridges.
  • Waves rolled an empty seashell across the sand.
  • The display identified several kinds of seashell.

Forms

seashell · seashells

Similar words

shell
Shell is the broader term for a hard outer covering; seashell specifies one from a marine mollusk.
carapace
A carapace covers animals such as crabs or turtles; a seashell is a mollusk’s shell.