abalone

[ ab-uh-loh-nee ]
/ ˌæb əˈloʊ ni /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR abalone ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large mollusk of the genus Haliotis, having a bowllike shell bearing a row of respiratory holes, the flesh of which is used for food and the shell for ornament and as a source of mother-of-pearl.

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Origin of abalone

1840–50, Americanism; taken as singular of California Spanish abulones, plural of abulón, aulón < a word in Rumsen, a Costanoan language formerly spoken at Monterey, California

Words nearby abalone

abadie's sign of tabes dorsalis, abaft, abagtha, abailard, abakan, abalone, abamp, abampere, abandon, abandon hope, all ye who enter here, abandoned
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to abalone

mollusk, ear, ormer

Example sentences from the Web for abalone

British Dictionary definitions for abalone

abalone
/ (ˌæbəˈləʊnɪ) /

noun

any of various edible marine gastropod molluscs of the genus Haliotis, having an ear-shaped shell that is perforated with a row of respiratory holes. The shells are used for ornament or decorationAlso called: ear shell See also ormer

Word Origin for abalone

C19: from American Spanish abulón; origin unknown
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