mollusk

American  

[mol-uhsk] / ˈmɒl əsk /

Or mollusc

noun

1. any invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, typically having a calcareous shell of one, two, or more pieces that wholly or partly enclose the soft, unsegmented body, including the chitons, snails, bivalves, squids, and octopuses.

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mollusk Scientific  

/ mŏl′əsk /

1. Any of numerous invertebrate animals of the phylum Mollusca, usually living in water and often having a hard outer shell. They have a muscular foot, a well-developed circulatory and nervous system, and often complex eyes. Mollusks include gastropods (snails and shellfish), slugs, octopuses, squids, and the extinct ammonites. Mollusks appear in the fossil record in the early Cambrian Period, but it is not known from what group they evolved.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mollusklike
  adjective
• molluskan
  adjective
• molluscan
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of mollusk

1775–85; < French mollusque < New Latin Mollusca; see Mollusca

Explanation

Your pet snail, Sammy, is one example of a mollusk, or a soft, spineless animal. In Sammy's case, he has a shell, though some mollusks don't. It's a bit ironic that this term for a large phylum of invertebrates comes from a Latin word that means "soft," mollis, since many mollusks (or molluscs in Britspeak) have hard shells. The epithet comes from the nature of the creatures' bodies, whether in shell (like a snail) or without (like a slug).

Example Sentences

To avoid being eaten, the mollusk hides with its transparent body and makes a quick escape by quickly closing its oral hood, similar to the movements of a jellyfish.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

The boy’s family in rural Edmond, Oklahoma, humored him with toy versions of an eight-legged mollusk, but as Cal got older it became clear that only the real thing would do.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2024

Herman is confident that his father would be happy with his adoration for the mollusk, now chronicled in this beautiful cookbook.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2024

The high presence of hearths and mollusk and fish remains in the middens suggests that the area was used for the processing and consumption of marine resources.

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2024

Ta-p’en-k’eng sites of Taiwan and the South China coast are full of fish bones and mollusk shells, as well as of stone net sinkers and adzes suitable for hollowing out a wooden canoe.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• abalone
• clam
• snail