Mercenaria
- noun
- /ˌmɜːrsəˈnɛəriə/
- Specialized
:
mercenaria
- The Mercenaria clam is often harvested for its sweet and tender meat in coastal cuisines.
Examples
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Fishermen often dive for Mercenaria during the summer months to gather clams for local seafood festivals.
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In many restaurants, dishes featuring Mercenaria are celebrated for their unique flavor and freshness.
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Mercenaria mercenaria contrasts greatly when compared with other areas of the Atlantic coastline.
Academic text (1992)
Compounds
- Specialized
A large edible crab with strong claws found on the southern United States coast, especially Florida, called the stone crab
- Specialized
A large edible American clam with a heavy rounded shell often used in chowder
- Specialized
A large edible clam with a hard shell that was used as money by some Native American tribes
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mercenaria comes from a Latin root merces meaning 'pay' or 'reward', the same root found in merchant and mercenary. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine these edible clams as a valuable trade item that brought money to people, which is why the name suits this group of clams.
