bivalve

[ bahy-valv ]
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noun
  1. Also called lamellibranch. Zoology. any mollusk, as the oyster, clam, scallop, or mussel, of the class Bivalvia, having two shells hinged together, a soft body, and lamellate gills.

adjective
  1. Botany. having two valves, as a seedcase.

  2. Zoology. having two shells, usually united by a hinge.

  1. having two similar parts hinged together.

Origin of bivalve

1
First recorded in 1670–80; bi-1 + valve

Other words from bivalve

  • bi·val·vu·lar [bahy-val-vyuh-ler], /baɪˈvæl vyə lər/, adjective

Words Nearby bivalve

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

How to use bivalve in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bivalve

bivalve

/ (ˈbaɪˌvælv) /


noun
  1. Also: pelecypod, lamellibranch any marine or freshwater mollusc of the class Pelecypoda (formerly Bivalvia or Lamellibranchia), having a laterally compressed body, a shell consisting of two hinged valves, and gills for respiration. The group includes clams, cockles, oysters, and mussels

adjective
  1. Also: pelecypod, lamellibranch of, relating to, or belonging to the Pelecypoda

  2. Also: bivalvate (baɪˈvælveɪt) biology having or consisting of two valves or similar parts: a bivalve seed capsule

Derived forms of bivalve

  • bivalvular, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for bivalve

bivalve

[ vălv′ ]


  1. Any of various mollusks of the class Bivalvia, having a shell consisting of two halves hinged together. Clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels are bivalves. The class Bivalvia is also called Pelecypoda, and was formerly called Lamellibranchia. Compare univalve.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.