univalve

[yoo-nuh-valv]

adjective Also u·ni·valved, u·ni·val·vu·lar [yoo-nuh-val-vyuh-ler] /ˌyu nəˈvæl vyə lər/.

having one valve.

(of a shell) composed of a single valve or piece.

noun

a univalve mollusk or its shell.

Origin of univalve

First recorded in 1655–65; uni- + valve

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

Examples from the Web for univalve

Historical Examples of univalve

Cochleate: spirally twisted like a screw or a univalve shell.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Its intestines were filled with small crabs and univalve shells.
Eccentricities of the Animal Creation.
John Timbs
The meaning of the univalve shell (Fig. 82) is also unknown.
The Ceramic Art
Jennie J. Young
There appear to be three varieties, spiral, univalve, and bivalve.
The World and Its People: Book VII
Anna B. Badlam
Some of these are most vivid in their shapes and ray-like markings, particularly the univalve shells.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

British Dictionary definitions for univalve

univalve

adjective

relating to, designating, or possessing a mollusc shell that consists of a single piece (valve)

noun

a gastropod mollusc or its shell

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 univalve

1660s (noun and adjective), from uni- + valve.

univalve in Science

univalve

[yōō′nĭ-vălv′]

A gastropod, especially one with a single shell, such as a snail, cone, whelk, abalone, or limpet. Univalves belong to the subclass Prosobranchia. Their shells are usually spiral and can hold the whole animal inside. Compare bivalve.