tusk shell

noun

1. tooth shell.

tusk shell

noun

1. any of various burrowing seashore molluscs of the genus Dentalium and related genera that have a long narrow tubular shell open at both ends: class Scaphopoda Also calledtooth shell

Word History and Origins

Origin of tusk shell¹

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

The standard Yurok shell bead is the hollow tusk shell (Dentalia indianorum), which is long, cylindrical, and of small diameter.

From Project Gutenberg