mussel

[muhs-uhl]

noun

1. any bivalve mollusk, especially an edible marine bivalve of the family Mytilidae and a freshwater clam of the family Unionidae.

mussel

/ ˈmʌsəl /

noun

1. any of various marine bivalves of the genus Mytilus and related genera, esp M. edulis ( edible mussel ), having a dark slightly elongated shell and living attached to rocks, etc,

2. any of various freshwater bivalves of the genera Anodonta, Unio, etc, attached to rocks, sand, etc having a flattened oval shell (a source of mother-of-pearl). The zebra mussel , Dreissena polymorpha, can be a serious nuisance in water mains

Word History and Origins

Origin of mussel¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English muscle < Vulgar Latin *mūscula, variant of Latin mūsculus little mouse, sea mussel. See muscle

Word History and Origins

Origin of mussel¹

Old English muscle, from Vulgar Latin muscula (unattested), from Latin musculus, diminutive of mūs mouse

Example Sentences

The amphipod was discovered at a depth of 2,602 meters in a mussel bed within the Galápagos Rift hydrothermal vent fields.

Read more on Science Daily

Locals arrive with buckets and rakes, digging for mussels and clams—“fishing on foot,” they call it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mollusks such as snails and mussels, along with vertebrates, were the most affected, while plants and arthropods faced relatively few losses.

Read more on Science Daily

We ordered what I consider to be the perfect lunch: mussels poached in white wine and herbs, slices of crusty country loaf griddled in olive oil, and a plate of frites with aioli.

Read more on Salon

It is hoped species such as ross worms, anemones, oysters and mussels will live on the reef cubes and that fish and crustaceans will also come over time.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• clam 
• conch 
• crawfish 
• crustacean 
• lobster 
• mollusk 
• oyster 
• prawn 
• scallop 
• shrimp 
• snail 

When To Use

Where does mussel come from?

Take a quick gander at your muscles. Do you think they look anything like ... mice? And do you think mice resemble  mussels, as in the edible mollusk? This may sound odd to you, but to the ancient Romans, it would have made perfect sense.This is because both the words muscle and mussel come from musculus, which literally means "little mouse" (mus means and is related to "mouse").As far as we can tell, the ancient Romans thought that the movement of a muscle, especially when flexing, looked like a mouse was running under your skin. If you don’t know how muscles work, it sounds as reasonable a guess as any.Now to the mollusk: the ancient Romans apparently also thought that mussels, the shellfish, looked like little mice. The word mussels also comes from that same Latin noun as muscle: musculus.The roots of these other words may get a rise—of laughter or surprise—out of you. Run on over to our roundup of them at "Weird Word Origins That Will Make Your Family Laugh."