mollusk

noun

mol·​lusk ˈmä-ləsk How to pronounce mollusk (audio)
variants or mollusc
: any of a large phylum (Mollusca) of invertebrate animals (such as snails, clams, or squids) with a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a calcareous shell
broadly : shellfish
molluscan adjective
or less commonly molluskan

Examples of mollusk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These tiny dark-yellowish mollusks, native to rivers in China and Southeast Asia, have already wreaked havoc in South America, and for years have kept officials and ecologists across the United States on high alert. Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024 It’s long been believed that the first of these animals sported a single, simple shell—but a new fossil, described this week in Science, suggests early mollusks were flat slugs with spiny armor instead. Molly Herring, science.org, 2 Aug. 2024 For example, arthropods, mollusks, and chordates appeared during this period. Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024 Assembling genomes for octopuses, squid and other mollusks has been a serious technical challenge until recently, explains Rebekah Rogers, a genome biologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who was not involved in the study. Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mollusk 

Word History

Etymology

French mollusque, from New Latin Mollusca, from Latin, neuter plural of molluscus thin-shelled (of a nut), from mollis

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mollusk was in 1783

Dictionary Entries Near mollusk

Cite this Entry

“Mollusk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mollusk. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

mollusk

noun
mol·​lusk
variants or mollusc
: any of a large phylum of invertebrate animals (as snails, clams, and octopuses) with a soft body lacking segments and usually enclosed in a shell containing calcium
molluscan adjective
also molluskan

Medical Definition

mollusk

noun
mol·​lusk
variants or mollusc
: any invertebrate animal of the phylum Mollusca
molluscan adjective
also molluskan

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