clams

noun pl. clams or clam

1. any of various hard-shell, usually edible, bivalve mollusks, some of which live in the shallows of the sea, others in fresh water
2. the soft, edible part of such a mollusk
3. Informal a reticent or taciturn person
4. ☆ clamshell (sense )
5. ☆ Slang
   1. a dollar
   2. Jazz a misplayed note

Origin: < obs. clam, clamp (< OE clamm, bond, fetter: for IE base see climb); with ref. to the action of the shells

intransitive verb clammed, clamming