univalve

[ yoo-nuh-valv ]

adjectiveAlso u·ni·valved, u·ni·val·vu·lar [yoo-nuh-val-vyuh-ler]. /ˌyu nəˈvæl vyə lər/.
  1. having one valve.

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

noun
  1. a univalve mollusk or its shell.

Origin of univalve

1
First recorded in 1655–65; uni- + valve

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use univalve in a sentence

  • The former are univalves and the latter bivalves having two shells for protection.

    Our British Snails | John William Horsley
  • Care should be taken not to injure the edge or lip of the mouth of univalves, or the ligament of the hinge of bivalves.

    Our British Snails | John William Horsley
  • A few of the univalves are viviparous—that is, they produce their young alive; but the majority lay eggs.

    The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
  • There are but few genera of fresh-water shells besides the Uniones, among bivalves, and the "Melaniana" among univalves.

    A Conchological Manual | George Brettingham Sowerby
  • A groove which characterizes some spiral univalves, where the inner and outer lips unite at the front part of the aperture.

    A Conchological Manual | George Brettingham Sowerby

British Dictionary definitions for univalve

univalve

/ (ˈjuːnɪˌvælv) zoology /


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

noun
  1. 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

Scientific definitions for univalve

univalve

[ yōōnĭ-vălv′ ]


  1. 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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.