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Glite Dictionary
blood clam

blood clam

8.0
A shellfish with red blood that lives in muddy seashores and is eaten in parts of Asia
  • noun
  • Indian
translation icon : almeja de sangre
  • The blood clam is prized in some Asian cuisines for its unique flavor and texture.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the blood clam to understand how its red blood helps it survive in low-oxygen environments.

  • Eating raw blood clam can sometimes carry health risks due to its habitat.

  • The blood clam is a delicacy in many Asian cuisines.

  • Have you ever tried blood clams?

  • The blood clam is prized in some Asian cuisines for its unique flavor and texture.

  • Researchers studied the blood clam to understand how its red blood helps it survive in low-oxygen environments.

  • The blood clam is a delicacy in many Asian cuisines.

Surface Forms

blood clam singular
blood clams plural

Morphology

blood + clam

The noun-noun compound 'blood clam' is directly interpretable as a clam characterized by blood (i.e., a clam with red/hemoglobin-rich blood), so a learner who knows 'blood' and 'clam' can infer the basic meaning. This is a straightforward compositional modifier pattern common across languages and not idiomatic, so it is transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

Blood clam comes from the animal's red blood inside the clam. People who opened these clams saw the red liquid, so the name now refers to a clam that really has red blood.