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Glite Dictionary
Mya arenaria

Mya arenaria

9.1
An edible clam with a thin oval shell that lives on coasts and is called the soft-shell clam
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mya arenaria
  • Mya arenaria is often steamed and served with butter in coastal New England cuisine.

Examples

  • The Mya arenaria is a popular seafood choice in New England.

  • Fishermen in Maine harvest large quantities of Mya arenaria for local seafood markets.

  • The thin shell of Mya arenaria makes it more fragile than many other edible clams.

  • Have you ever tried Mya arenaria in a chowder?

  • The chef cooked Mya arenaria in a delicious garlic sauce for the seafood dish.

  • Mya arenaria are commonly harvested along the shores of New England during the summer months.

  • Many residents enjoy digging for Mya arenaria during low tide at the beach.

Synonyms

steamer
vsMya arenaria
  • US
2 7.5

A small clam cooked in its shell with steam

is the species term rather than a cooking-based name
soft-shell clam
vsMya arenaria
3.3

A small sea animal with a thin fragile shell that people eat

is the same species but uses a different common name
steamer clam
vsMya arenaria
  • US
4.4

A soft clam often steamed and eaten in its shell

is the species name regardless of cooking method

Surface Forms

Mya arenaria singular
Mya arenarias plural

Morphology

Mya + arenaria

This is a Latin scientific binomial (a proper taxonomic name) rather than a compositional English phrase; species names do not follow ordinary English word-formation patterns. One constituent ('arenaria') is not attested here and even if both parts were known, the label functions as an arbitrary species name, so a B1 learner would not reliably derive the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Mya arenaria probably comes from old words: Mya from a Greek word for mussel and arenaria meaning 'of the sand'. This fits the animal — a thin-shelled clam that lives buried in beach sand, so the name points to a 'sand clam'.