abalone
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of abalone
1840–50, taken as singular of California Spanish abulones, plural of abulón, aulón < a word in Rumsen, a Costanoan language formerly spoken at Monterey, California
Explanation
An abalone is a mollusk found in warm seas. Abalones have an ear-shaped shell with a pearly interior. It hardly seems fair that this large mollusk is only one syllable away from being baloney, since the two words are unrelated. The pearly interior of the abalone — which yields mother-of-pearl — makes this animal quite a prize, since mother-of-pearl is used in many types of jewelry. The abalone is part of the genus Haliotis: because of its ear-shaped shell, it is also known as a sea ear or ear shell. Other mollusks include squid, clams, and octopuses.
Vocabulary lists containing abalone
English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas
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Something's Fishy: A Fresh Catch of Aquatic Words
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other nearby landslides, including Abalone Cove and Klondike Canyon, also saw dramatic acceleration last year, but those areas are not a part of the long-term stabilization plan.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025
HIK Abalone has a total of around 13 million abalone at any one time at their two south coast farms.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2023
Abalone as far as the eye can see — from tiny specks to as big as your hand — in rows and rows of open-top tanks.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2023
Abalone are marine snails that can live for several decades and grow up to 30 centimeters long.
From Science Magazine • Dec. 14, 2022
Abalone, or what we call perlemoen, was my favorite dish.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
