clam

¹

[klam]

noun

1. any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species.

2. Informal.,  a secretive or silent person.

3. clamminess.

4. Slang.,  a dollar or the sum of a dollar.

   I only made 60 clams a week.

verb (used without object)

clammed, clamming 

1. to gather or dig clams.

verb phrase

1. clam up,  to refuse to talk or reply; refrain from talking or divulging information.

   The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.

clam

²

[klam]

noun

1. British Dialect.,  clamp.

2. Machinery.,  (formerly) pincers.

clam

¹

/ klæm /

noun

1. any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long

2. the edible flesh of such a mollusc

3. informal,  a reticent person

verb

1. (intr) to gather clams

clam

²

/ klæm /

verb

1. a variant of clem

Other Word Forms

• clamlike adjective
• clammer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clam¹

First recorded in 1500–10; short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps; clam ², shell

Origin of clam²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English, derivative of clam(m), clom(m), “fetter, clasp, bandage”; cognate with German Klamm “fetter, constriction”; akin to clamp

Word History and Origins

Origin of clam¹

C16: from earlier clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English clamm fetter, Old High German klamma constriction; see _clamp ¹

Idioms and Phrases

• happy as the day is long (as a clam)

Example Sentences

To avoid disturbing the sites further, the team relied on radiocarbon dating of clam shells and deer bones that were originally collected some 50 years ago.

Read more on Science Daily

Sea slugs, corals, clams and sponges may not get as much of the spotlight as blue whales or sharks, but these curious creatures come with a host of unique, hard-to-believe abilities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It actually looked more like a large clam.

Read more on Literature

The pipeline company will also have to mitigate harm to fish and clams.

Read more on Barron's

A giant sea star crept over a crowd of clams.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• mollusk