geoduck

or gwe·duc

[ goo-ee-duhk ]

noun
  1. a very large, edible, saltwater clam of the genus Panope that burrows into the mud, feeding through a long siphon, the so-called neck, that extends upward: specimens of P. generosa(Pacific geoduck ), of the waters off western Canada and northwestern United States, have been found to live more than 140 years, and some have exceeded a shell length of 10 inches (25 centimeters), a siphon length of 5 feet (1.5 meters), and a weight of 15 pounds (7 kilograms).

Origin of geoduck

1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; from Lushootseed (formerly Puget Salish ) gwídəq, of uncertain meaning: either an element gwíd-, of uncertain origin + -əq “genitals” (from the resemblance of the siphon to a penis), or from a phrase meaning “dig deep” (because the mollusk buries itself up to three feet deep in sand, silt, or gravel)
  • Also called king clam [king-klam] /ˈkɪŋ ˌklæm/ .

word story For geoduck

All agree that the word geoduck originated in Lushootseed, a Salishan language of the Pacific Northwest. Some say (as at Evergreen State College in Washington State where the official school mascot is a geoduck) that it means “dig deep,” but others say the final -əq of the Lushootseed word gwídəq means “genitals.” Since ESC's motto is “Let It All Hang Out,” they seem happy to embrace both aspects of this unusual creature. How the [goo-ee] /ˈgu i/ sound came to be spelled geo is anyone's guess, but it's most likely a European interpretation of the Lushootseed pronunciation.
What you choose to believe is up to you, but just don't call it a JEE-oh-duhk.

Words Nearby geoduck

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for geoduck

geoduck

/ (ˈdʒiːəʊˌdʌk) /


noun
  1. Canadian a large edible clam

Origin of geoduck

1
from Chinook jargon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012