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).

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geoduck British  

/ ˈdʒiːəʊˌdʌk /

noun

1. a large edible clam

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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

See Examples For:

geoduck

The tribe’s seafood company started with geoduck and is now in the oyster business, too.

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

Ishmael Chambers, watching Hatsue, remembered digging geoduck clams with her below the bluff at South Beach.

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