geoduck

American  

[goo-ee-duhk] / ˈgu iˌdʌk /

Or gweduc

noun

1. a very large, edible, saltwater clam of the genus Panope that burrows into the mud, feeding through a long siphon, the so-called neck, that extends upward: specimens of P. generosa Pacific geoduck, of the waters off western Canada and northwestern United States, have been found to live more than 140 years, and some have exceeded a shell length of 10 inches (25 centimeters), a siphon length of 5 feet (1.5 meters), and a weight of 15 pounds (7 kilograms).

---

geoduck British  

/ ˈdʒiːəʊˌdʌk /

noun

1. a large edible clam

---

Etymology

Origin of geoduck

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; from Lushootseed (formerly Puget Salish ) gwídəq, of uncertain meaning: either an element gwíd-, of uncertain origin + -əq “genitals” (from the resemblance of the siphon to a penis), or from a phrase meaning “dig deep” (because the mollusk buries itself up to three feet deep in sand, silt, or gravel)

Example Sentences

Grinnell fished for sockeye and chum salmon and eventually dived for geoduck.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2022

Alaska’s legislature has long subsidized testing for the state’s lucrative commercial oyster and geoduck clam industries, but it does not fund shellfish testing for subsistence harvesters, which costs around $125 per sample.

From Scientific American • Jan. 24, 2022

Gockerell’s crewmates and officers with the state Department of Natural Resources, who were supervising the geoduck harvesting, pulled Gockerell free after a struggle and brought him aboard the commercial fishing boat, Keegan said.

From Washington Times • Mar. 4, 2021

He goes after geoduck and sea cucumber and salmon.

From The Guardian • Mar. 15, 2019

He was always surprised at the thickness and heft of a geoduck.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson