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soft-shell clam
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noun
an edible clam, Mya arenaria, inhabiting waters along both coasts of North America, having an oval, relatively thin, whitish shell.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of soft-shell clam
An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800
Words nearby soft-shell clam
soft science, soft sculpture, soft sell, soft serve, soft-shell, soft-shell clam, soft-shell crab, soft-shelled turtle, soft-shoe, soft shoulder, soft sign
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use soft-shell clam in a sentence
The soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria, has been an important article of food, but the valves are not serviceable in the arts.
Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans|William H. Holmes
British Dictionary definitions for soft-shell clam
soft-shell clam
noun
any of several marine clams of the genus Mya, esp M. arenaria, an edible species of coastal regions of the US and Europe, having a thin brittle shellSometimes shortened to: soft-shell Compare quahog
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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