mussel

CEFRB1

/ˈmʌsəl/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A small sea animal with a dark shell, eaten as food.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.

Examples

  • They’ve actually created a synthetic gel that mimics the mussel’s sticky, self-healing properties.

  • Tom works on a mussel farm.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A freshwater mussel, usually edible, of the order Unionida in subclass Palaeoheterodonta.

  2. A saltwater mussel, usually edible, of the order Mytilida in subclass Pteriomorphia.

  3. Any of certain other bivalves of somewhat similar appearance, such as the zebra mussel and quagga mussel of the family Dreissenidae in subclass Heterodonta.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank uses its strong tough threads to hold onto coastal rocks in the ocean.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English muscle (“mussel”), from Old English muscle, from Proto-West Germanic *muskulā, from Late Latin muscula, from Latin mūsculus (“mussel, muscle”, literally “little mouse”). Doublet of muscle.