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mussel Definition

mus·sel (musəl)

noun

any of various bivalve mollusks; specif.,

  1. any of a sometimes edible saltwater family (Mytilidae) that anchors to rocks, ships, etc. by byssus threads
  2. 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

mussel Usage Examples

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.

Browse dictionary entries near mussel

  1. muss
  2. musquash
  3. muslin
  4. Muslim
  5. musky
  6. muskrat
  7. Muskogee
  8. Muskogean
  9. muskmelon
  10. musketry
  1. Musset
  2. Mussolini
  3. Mussorgsky
  4. Mussulman
  5. mussy
  6. must
  7. must-carry rules
  8. mustache
  9. mustachio
  10. Mustafa Kemal