Synonyms

mollusk

American

[mol-uhsk] / ˈmɒl əsk /

Or mollusc

noun

any invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, typically having a calcareous shell of one, two, or more pieces that wholly or partly enclose the soft, unsegmented body, including the chitons, snails, bivalves, squids, and octopuses.

mollusk Scientific

/ mŏl′əsk /

Any of numerous invertebrate animals of the phylum Mollusca, usually living in water and often having a hard outer shell. They have a muscular foot, a well-developed circulatory and nervous system, and often complex eyes. Mollusks include gastropods (snails and shellfish), slugs, octopuses, squids, and the extinct ammonites. Mollusks appear in the fossil record in the early Cambrian Period, but it is not known from what group they evolved.

Other Word Forms

molluscan adjective
molluskan adjective
mollusklike adjective

Etymology

Origin of mollusk

1775–85; < French mollusque < New Latin Mollusca; Mollusca

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.

Decades later, it was found by scientists, who marveled at the appearance of this perfectly preserved ocean mollusk in the middle of a desert.

From Literature

These included a variety of worms, mollusks, and crustaceans.

From Science Daily

Though she prefers mollusks to men, it’s Yeva who insists on reducing the kidnapping target from 100 to 12, a number that the trailer could humanely accommodate.

From Los Angeles Times

Speaking of what makes up this most delicious and fragrant stew and despite the name, go on and include shellfish: crustaceans, mollusks or bivalves, anything you like.

From Salon

But as it turns out, one group of marine mollusks was way ahead of us.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023