Adjective
(comparative more shell-less, superlative most shell-less)
- Lacking a shell.
- Unprotected, vulnerable.
Usage notes
The suffix -less is not usually hyphenated. Gary Rosenberg has meantioned that shellless is "a word that I keep trying to slip into professional papers (I'm a malacologist by trade), but so far no editor has let it stand." The unhyphenated spelling, though suggested, is not currently found in any major dictionary.
Origin
shell + -less
