mussel
noun
mus·sel ˈmə-səl 
1
: a marine bivalve mollusk (especially genus Mytilus) usually having a dark elongated shell
2
: a freshwater bivalve mollusk (as of Unio, Anodonta, or related genera) that is especially abundant in rivers of the central U.S. and has a shell lined with mother-of-pearl
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In Andy’s studio, a bowl of deep purple mussel shells stained with paint sit on a table next to an easel; Wyeth mixed his delicate egg tempera pigments in those shells, which lent them their preternatural tones. 
Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The decision means stricter oversight of Big Canoe Creek and Little Canoe Creek West, where the mussel lives. Fox News, 5 July 2022 There are several ways his research could help Reclamation keep quagga mussel populations under control. Lindsey Botts, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2022 Along the way, riders will gorge on blueberry pie, the best lobster rolls in the state, and mussels straight from a mussel farm. Jancee Dunn, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2022 The wild mussel catch declined from 25 million pounds to a mere nine million over the past two decades. Ellen Ruppel Shell, Scientific American, 1 May 2022 Banchan include tomato-basil kimchi, mussel-seaweed soup, kimchi oysters, quail eggs and cucumber salad. Gwendolyn Wu, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Apr. 2022 The broth is crafted from octopus, clam juice, mussel juice and fish fumet, then reduced and blended with olive oil and chiles. Alyson Sheppard, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2022 Just one small section of the Escambia River, which flows through the Florida Panhandle, is home to two imperiled mussel species, along with a turtle and crayfish also at risk of extinction. New York Times, 3 Mar. 2022 See More
Murray Whyte, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2022 The decision means stricter oversight of Big Canoe Creek and Little Canoe Creek West, where the mussel lives. Fox News, 5 July 2022 There are several ways his research could help Reclamation keep quagga mussel populations under control. Lindsey Botts, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2022 Along the way, riders will gorge on blueberry pie, the best lobster rolls in the state, and mussels straight from a mussel farm. Jancee Dunn, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2022 The wild mussel catch declined from 25 million pounds to a mere nine million over the past two decades. Ellen Ruppel Shell, Scientific American, 1 May 2022 Banchan include tomato-basil kimchi, mussel-seaweed soup, kimchi oysters, quail eggs and cucumber salad. Gwendolyn Wu, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Apr. 2022 The broth is crafted from octopus, clam juice, mussel juice and fish fumet, then reduced and blended with olive oil and chiles. Alyson Sheppard, Robb Report, 31 Mar. 2022 Just one small section of the Escambia River, which flows through the Florida Panhandle, is home to two imperiled mussel species, along with a turtle and crayfish also at risk of extinction. New York Times, 3 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English muscle, from Old English muscelle, from Vulgar Latin *muscula, from Latin musculus muscle, mussel
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing mussel
Kids Definition
mussel
noun
mus·sel ˈmə-səl
1
: a saltwater shellfish that has a long dark shell in two parts and is sometimes used as food
2
: a freshwater clam of the United States with shells from which mother-of-pearl is obtained