- shellfish
- noun Date: before 12th century an aquatic invertebrate animal with a shell; especially an edible mollusk or crustacean
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
shellfish
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Shellfish — is a culinary and fisheries term for those aquatic invertebrate animals that are used as food: various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although the word is primarily used as a term for marine species, freshwater edible… … Wikipedia
shellfish — [shel′fish΄] n. pl. shellfish or shellfishes (see FISH) [ME shellfyssche < OE scilfisc < sciel, SHELL + fisc, FISH] any aquatic animal with a shell, esp. an edible one, as the clam or lobster … English World dictionary
Shellfish — Shell fish , n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic animal whose external covering consists of a shell, either testaceous, as in oysters, clams, and other mollusks, or crustaceous, as in lobsters and crabs. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
shellfish — (n.) O.E. scylfiscas (pl.); see SHELL (Cf. shell) (n.) + FISH (Cf. fish) (n.) … Etymology dictionary
shellfish — ► NOUN ▪ an aquatic shelled mollusc or crustacean, especially an edible one … English terms dictionary
shellfish — /shel fish /, n., pl. (esp. collectively) shellfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) shellfishes. an aquatic animal having a shell, as the oyster and other mollusks and the lobster and other crustaceans. [bef. 900; ME; OE… … Universalium
shellfish — [[t]ʃe̱lfɪʃ[/t]] N VAR: usu pl (shellfish is both the singular and the plural form.) Shellfish are small creatures that live in the sea and have a shell. Fish and shellfish are the specialities … English dictionary
shellfish — plural shellfish noun 1 (C, U) a sea or water animal that does not have a backbone, but has a shell: Lobsters and oysters are shellfish. 2 (U) such animals as a type of food: Do you like shellfish? … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
shellfish — UK [ˈʃelˌfɪʃ] / US noun Word forms shellfish : singular shellfish plural shellfish a) [countable] sea creatures with a hard shell around them, for example crabs, mussels, and oysters b) [uncountable] these creatures used as food … English dictionary
shellfish — (Roget s IV) n. Syn. crustacean, mollusk, molluscoid, crustaceous animal, invertebrate, marine invertebrate, marine animal, arthropod, gastropod, Arthropoda, molluskan type, bivalve, shell meat. Types of shellfish include: crab, lobster, clam,… … English dictionary for students
shellfish — shell|fish [ˈʃelˌfıʃ] n plural shellfish [U and C] an animal that lives in water, has a shell, and can be eaten as food, for example ↑crabs, ↑lobsters, and ↑oysters … Dictionary of contemporary English
