shelled

[ sheld ]

/ ʃɛld /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shelled ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having the shell removed: shelled pecans.

(especially of field corn, grain, etc.) removed from the ear or husk.

having or enclosed in a shell.

Nearby words

shellac, shellacking, shellback, shellbark, shellcracker, shelled, sheller, shelley, shelley, mary wollstonecraft, shelley, percy bysshe, shelleyan

Origin of shelled

First recorded in 1570–80; shell + -ed²

Related formsun·shelled, adjective

Definition for shelled (2 of 2)

shell

[ shel ]

/ ʃɛl /

noun

a hard outer covering of an animal, as the hard case of a mollusk, or either half of the case of a bivalve mollusk.

any of various objects resembling such a covering, as in shape or in being more or less concave or hollow.

the material constituting any of various coverings of this kind.

the hard exterior of an egg.

the usually hard, outer covering of a seed, fruit, or the like, as the hard outside portion of a nut, the pod of peas, etc.

a hard, protecting or enclosing case or cover.

an attitude or manner of reserve that usually conceals one's emotions, thoughts, etc.: One could not penetrate his shell.

a hollow projectile for a cannon, mortar, etc., filled with an explosive charge designed to explode during flight, upon impact, or after penetration.

a metallic cartridge used in small arms and small artillery pieces.

a metal or paper cartridge, as for use in a shotgun.

a cartridgelike pyrotechnic device that explodes in the air.

shells, Italian Cookery. small pieces of pasta having the shape of a shell.

the lower pastry crust of a pie, tart, or the like, baked before the filling is added.

Computers. a program providing a menu-driven or graphical user interface designed to simplify use of the operating system, as in loading application programs.

Physics.

any of up to seven energy levels on which an electron may exist within an atom, the energies of the electrons on the same level being equal and on different levels being unequal.
a group of nucleons of approximately the same energy.

a light, long, narrow racing boat, for rowing by one or more persons.

the outer part of a finished garment that has a lining, especially a detachable lining.

a woman's sleeveless blouse or sweater, especially one meant for wear under a suit jacket.

Nautical. the plating, planking, or the like, covering the ribs and forming the exterior hull of a vessel.

tortoiseshell(def 1).

a mollusk.

Engineering. the curved solid forming a dome or vault.

an arena or stadium covered by a domed or arched roof.

a saucer-shaped arena or stadium.

the framework, external structure, or walls and roof of a building: After the fire, only the shell of the school was left.

a small glass for beer.

the metal, pressure-resistant outer casing of a fire-tube boiler.

Metallurgy.

a scab on the surface of an ingot.
a length of unfinished tubing.
a pierced forging.
a hollow object made by deep drawing.

verb (used with object)

to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; remove the shell of.

to separate (Indian corn, grain, etc.) from the ear, cob, or husk.

to fire shells or explosive projectiles into, upon, or among; bombard.

verb (used without object)

to fall or come out of the shell, husk, etc.

to come away or fall off, as a shell or outer coat.

to gather sea shells: We spent the whole morning shelling while the tide was out.

Verb Phrases

shell out, Informal. to hand over (money); contribute; pay.

Origin of shell

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English scell (north), sciell; cognate with Dutch schil peel, skin, rink, Old Norse skel shell, Gothic skalja tile; (v.) derivative of the noun; cf. shale

Related formsshell-less, adjectiveshell-like, adjectivede-shell, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shelled

Once, during the war, he shelled out the cash to hire a band on Christmas Day.
How George Washington Celebrated Christmas|John Avlon|December 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
[Fashionista] The Gap Buys Intermix: Gap Inc has shelled out $130 million to purchase high-end retail chain, Intermix.
Lena Dunham Loves Free Clothes, Chanel’s Teen Model Debut|The Fashion Beast Team|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ankara shelled targets in Syria after an errant shell from Syrian forces killed Turkish citizens Wednesday.
Turkey Fires Across Border After Syrian Shelling Kills Five Turkish Civilians|Mike Giglio|October 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Romney shelled out an effective rate of 13.8 percent in taxes on an income of $21.7 million in 2010.
Romney Asked VP Shortlisters for Ten Years of Tax Returns|Daniel Klaidman|September 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Between 9/11 and the 2009 bill, America shelled out $15 billion.
What If the U.S. Cuts Off Aid to Pakistan?|David A. Graham|May 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Simmer for five minutes, then add two pounds of shelled peas, six small raw French carrots and one dozen raw fresh asparagus tips.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
The peas are first shelled, and then placed in a stew-pan with a little butter, sufficient to moisten them.
Cassell's Vegetarian Cookery|A. G. Payne
Here the men were shelled at intervals, particularly on the 13th, and spent the nights on working parties.
The Story of the 6th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry|Unknown
The Krithia village was shelled by the heavy British guns, aeroplanes spotting.
Australia in Arms|Phillip F.E. Schuler
Willie was shelled and shot at in it all day, and they rushed him in large numbers in the dark of the evening.
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 3 (of 10)|James Edward Parrott

British Dictionary definitions for shelled

shell

/ (ʃɛl) /

noun

the protective calcareous or membranous outer layer of an egg, esp a bird's egg

the hard outer covering of many molluscs that is secreted by the mantle

any other hard outer layer, such as the exoskeleton of many arthropods

the hard outer layer of some fruits, esp of nuts

any hard outer case

a hollow artillery projectile filled with explosive primed to explode either during flight, on impact, or after penetrationCompare ball 1 (def. 7a)

a small-arms cartridge comprising a hollow casing inside which is the primer, charge, and bullet

a pyrotechnic cartridge designed to explode in the air

rowing a very light narrow racing boat

the external structure of a building, esp one that is unfinished or one that has been gutted by fire

the basic structural case of something, such as a machine, vehicle, etc

physics

a class of electron orbits in an atom in which the electrons have the same principal quantum number and orbital angular momentum quantum number and differences in their energy are small compared with differences in energy between shells
an analogous energy state of nucleons in certain theories (shell models) of the structure of the atomic nucleus

the pastry case of a pie, flan, etc

a thin slab of concrete or a skeletal framework made of wood or metal that forms a shell-like roof

British (in some schools) a class or form

come out of one's shell to become less shy and reserved

bring out of one's shell to help to become less shy and reserved

verb

to divest or be divested of a shell, husk, pod, etc

to separate or be separated from an ear, husk, cob, etc

(tr) to bombard with artillery shells

Word Origin for shell

Old English sciell; related to Old Norse skel shell, Gothic skalja tile, Middle Low German schelle shell; see scale 1, shale

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shelled (1 of 2)

shell

Old English sciell, scill, Anglian scell "seashell, eggshell," related to Old English scealu "shell, husk," from Proto-Germanic *skaljo "piece cut off; shell; scale" (cf. West Frisian skyl "peel, rind," Middle Low German schelle "pod, rind, egg shell," Gothic skalja "tile"), with the shared notion of "covering that splits off," from PIE root *(s)kel- (1) "to cut, cleave" (cf. Old Church Slavonic skolika "shell," Russian skala "bark, rind;" see scale (n.1)). Italian scaglia "chip" is from Germanic.

Sense of "mere exterior" is from 1650s; that of "hollow framework" is from 1791. Meaning "structure for a band or orchestra" is attested from 1938. Military use (1640s) was first of hand grenades, in reference to the metal case in which the gunpowder and shot were mixed; the notion is of a "hollow object" filled with explosives. Hence shell shock, first recorded 1915. Shell game "a swindle" is from 1890, from a version of three-card monte played with a pea and walnut shells.

Word Origin and History for shelled (1 of 2)

shell

1560s, "to remove (a nut, etc.) from a shell," from shell (n.). The meaning "to bombard with shells" is first attested 1856. To shell out "disburse" (1801) is a figurative use from the image of extracting nuts. Related: Shelled; shelling.

Science definitions for shelled

shell

[ shĕl ]

The usually hard outer covering of certain animals, such as mollusks, insects, and turtles.
The hard outer covering of a bird's egg.
The hard outer covering of a seed, nut, or fruit.

A set of electron orbitals that have nearly the same energy. Electrons in outer shells have greater energy than those in shells closer to the nucleus. Elements in the Periodic Table range from the lightest elements with electrons normally occupying one shell (hydrogen and helium) to the heaviest, with electrons in seven shells (radium and uranium, for instance). See more at atomic spectrum orbital subshell. See Note at metal.
Any of the stable states of other particles or collections of particles (such as the nucleons in an atomic nucleus) at a given energy or small range of energies.

Idioms and Phrases with shelled

shell

In addition to the idiom beginning with shell

shell out

also see:

in one's shell

shelled

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of shelled

Definition for shelled (2 of 2)

shell

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of shell

Examples from the Web for shelled

British Dictionary definitions for shelled

shell

noun

verb

Word Origin for shell

Word Origin and History for shelled (1 of 2)

shell

Word Origin and History for shelled (1 of 2)

shell

Science definitions for shelled

shell

Idioms and Phrases with shelled

shell