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giant clam
noun
: a very large clam (Tridacna gigas) found on the coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans that sometimes weighs more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms)
Examples of giant clam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From colorful giant clams to barnacles, there’s no shortage of creatures that have taken inspiration from plants and simply stopped moving.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2024
Lunch is a steady stream of traditional tapas, including pil pil prawn croquettes and giant clams, followed by a digestif of sweet, dark Málaga Virgen wine.
—Lisa Johnson, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2023
Guests aboard Four Seasons Explorer can make good use of the PADI 5-Star Dive Centre while visiting such sites as Helmet Wreck, a World War II wreck; Clam City, home to 250-pound giant clams; and Peleliu Wall.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2023
But even these hellish habitats are crawling with life, ranging from giant clams and ravenous crabs to spindly octopuses and ghostly eelpout fish.
—Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 9 Aug. 2023
The coral reef that frames the island brims with tropical fish, manta rays, giant clams, and sharks.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2023
Like all clams, the giant clam, Tridacna gigas, pumps in water through a siphon, and transports it to the gills through the beating motion of short, hair-like cilia.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
An environmental impact report on upcoming missile tests has bad news for Kwajalein’s giant clam community.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 24 June 2021
One of her favorite spots is the Aloe Garden’s Abalone Pond, with its two cascading fountains of giant clam shells.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2021
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Word History
First Known Use
circa 1889, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near giant clam
Cite this Entry
“Giant clam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/giant%20clam. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on giant clam
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about giant clam
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