shell-like

British  

adjective

1. resembling the empty shell of a mollusc

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noun

1. slang an ear (esp in the phrase a word in your shell-like )

Example Sentences

Insects and other arthropods, which make up the vast majority of animals on Earth, instead possess a shell-like exoskeleton, which is mainly composed of a tough, flexible material called cuticle.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 5, 2023

Mr. Mohtes-Chan said that heavily burned areas were vulnerable to slides because the burned layer of the ground can be hard and shell-like.

From New York Times • Jan. 14, 2023

Instead, the researchers’ analysis found that S. bideni’s inner shell is a gladius, a triangular shell-like remnant found in squids and vampire squids.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2022

I once returned from Monticello with seed of his snail flower, a beguiling tender woody vine with white and violet shell-like blooms of intense fragrance.

From Washington Post • Oct. 8, 2019

He didn't see the skin clear, its dark spots fading, or how the thickened, discolored nails became shell-like and translucent.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry