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.
Kim Namin, 29, runs a seasoned gim processing factory with a 30-year family history in Wando, an island in South Korea's southern waters known for abalone and seaweed production.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
On special is an abalone soup, an alien beast in his time, and not our cup of tea, but they say Hemingway took a shine.
From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025
For decades it has been illegal to fish for, catch, or keep any species of abalone in California — except for some permitted harvesting of red abalone north of San Francisco during designated periods.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2025
He took loads of halibut and abalone off the La Costa Beach.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2025
I was on a bed made of silky woven kelp, in a .room paneled with abalone shell Glowing pearls the size of basketballs floated around the ceiling, providing light.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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.
