mussel

mus·sel (mus′əl)

noun

any of various bivalve mollusks; specif.,

any of a sometimes edible saltwater family (Mytilidae) that anchors to rocks, ships, etc. by byssus threads
any of a freshwater family (Unionidae) that is large-sized, may produce pearls, and is used to make buttons

Etymology: ME muscle < OE, akin to OHG muscula, both < VL *muscula, for L musculus, mussel, muscle

Converse of object

boil: Ninety per cent of the time the Plumose Anemone can be tricked into consuming large fragments of boiled mussel or similar foods.
lip: Worked Example A researcher believes that eating New Zealand green lipped mussels may have beneficial effects for people suffering from arthritis.
discard: Remove the lid & using a slotted spoon, discard any mussels that have failed to open.
steam: Bar snacks are available - our huge bowls of steaming mussels are legendary!
cook: Robert Gater, her boyfriend, was calling from their flat in Chelmsford, asking how to cook mussels.
collect: There you can also do a little mackerel fishing and collect fresh mussels.

Adjective modifier

green-lipped: Fresh mussels are normally bought live in their shell although frozen green-lipped mussels are also available.
pearl: It is likely that pearl mussels are restricted to the main stem of the river.
juvenile: It is worth noting that the reef was covered in a carpet of tiny juvenile mussels.
fresh: There you can also do a little mackerel fishing and collect fresh mussels.

Modifies a noun

shell: Even picking into thin layers of sediment from the walls at the entrance have revealed mussel shells.
bed: A good clue for a horse mussel bed is abundant soft corals on sediment where they wouldn't normally be.
cultivation: These Orders form the basis of the largest mussel cultivation operation in the UK.
extract: One case of hepatitis has been reported in association with the use of a New Zealand green-lipped mussel extract.
farm: The bay is also commercially used by a salmon farm and a mussel farm.
population: Analysis of mussel population dynamics in the Mississippi River.

Noun used with modifier

zebra: Zebra mussels can survive for more than five days attached to a boat hull or trailer.
pearl: Freshwater pearl mussels prefer fast running, cool waters, low in calcium.
freshwater: The new SSSI status is to help protect the unique freshwater mussel, which in the past produced a freshwater pearl for the Queen.
horse: A good clue for a horse mussel bed is abundant soft corals on sediment where they wouldn't normally be.

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