mollusk

noun

mol·​lusk ˈmä-ləsk 

variants or mollusc

: any of a large phylum (Mollusca) of invertebrate animals (such as snails, clams, or squids) with a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a calcareous shell

broadly : shellfish

molluscan adjective

or less commonly molluskan

mə-ˈlə-skən 

mä-

Examples of mollusk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first five chapters are dedicated to the golden silk of the mollusk Pina nobilis, a meter-long native to the Mediterranean and other coastal habitats. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

But before diving into their halcyon decades in Paris between the 1860s and the 1930s, the exhibition starts by debunking the myth that pearls are formed when a mollusk swallows a grain of sand. —Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024

Shell rings, archaeological sites scattered with mollusk shells, remain across the Southeast, suggesting that people have gathered to share meals like this for centuries. —Jennifer Hope Choi, Bon Appétit, 13 Dec. 2024

All the species involved are generalists that eat crustaceans, fish and mollusks, but whoever was able to catch the prey got a meal. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French mollusque, from New Latin Mollusca, from Latin, neuter plural of molluscus thin-shelled (of a nut), from mollis

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mollusk

noun

mol·​lusk

variants or mollusc

ˈmäl-əsk 

: any of a large phylum of invertebrate animals (as snails, clams, and octopuses) with a soft body lacking segments and usually enclosed in a shell containing calcium

molluscan adjective

also molluskan

mə-ˈləs-kən 

mä-

Medical Definition

mollusk

noun

mol·​lusk

variants or mollusc

ˈmäl-əsk 

: any invertebrate animal of the phylum Mollusca

molluscan adjective

also molluskan

mə-ˈles-kən, mä-