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• shelly
  shelly

  adjective

  abounding in shells.
• Shelly
  Shelly

  noun

  a male or female given name.

shelly

¹ American  

[shel-ee] / ˈʃɛl i /

adjective

shellier, shelliest

1. abounding in shells.

   a shelly surf.

2. consisting of a shell or shells.

3. like a shell or shells.

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Shelly ² American  

[shel-ee] / ˈʃɛl i /

noun

1. a male or female given name.

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Etymology

Origin of shelly

First recorded in 1545–55; shell + -y ¹

Example Sentences

In addition to shelly components, it contains extremely rare soft elements such as digestive systems and cuticles, in a remarkable state of preservation.

From Science Daily • Feb. 9, 2024

The researchers discovered the trilobite’s nearly intact gut—the first of its kind in the fossil record—stuffed with the shelly remnants of an ancient seafood feast, revealing that B. incola was not a picky eater.

From Scientific American • Sep. 28, 2023

These bones were found in a peat layer that had accumulated in a wetland, lying directly over a shelly marine clay layer deposited by glaciers melting into the newly formed Puget Sound.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023

The brightest swirls are shelly sands moulded into sweeping shapes.

From The Guardian • Dec. 8, 2016

The shell may be broken, and even portions of it removed, and yet after a certain lapse of time the injured parts will be repaired by a deposition of shelly matter at the fractured parts.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr