single shell - Glite Dictionary

Examples

One can spend hours working with different areas of a single shell.

Academic text (2007)
The athlete expertly maneuvered his single shell on the lake, showcasing his skill as a rower.
After weeks of practice, she finally felt comfortable racing in a single shell on the river.
The coach instructed each oarsman to focus on their technique while using a single shell during training.

Synonyms

shell

vssingle shell

Jargon

25 7.2

A long narrow boat used for racing in rowing

is limited to one person not always a team boat

rowing boat

vssingle shell

1 2.3

A small boat moved with oars for sport or fun

is narrower and built for one person rather than general use

racing skiff

vssingle shell

1 7.7

A narrow, light boat for one person used in rowing races

is for one rower but not necessarily built for competition

racing boat

vssingle shell

1 2.7

A long narrow boat rowed by people for racing

focuses on a single rower rather than multiple crew members

racing shell

vssingle shell

5.2

A very light long narrow boat that people row in competitions

is specific to a single oarsman rather than to any crew

Surface Forms

single shell singular

single shells plural

Morphology

single + shell

The meaning 'a narrow rowing boat designed for a single oarsman' is directly derivable by combining 'single' (one, alone) with 'shell' (a rowing boat) — the adjective simply specifies the shell is for one person. Although 'shell' in the rowing sense is somewhat specialized vocabulary, if a learner knows both constituent senses this follows a regular adjective + noun composition and will be immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

The noun single shell comes from the image of a very thin, shell-like boat for one rower. Single means 'one person' and shell shows the boat's thin, curved shape, so the name now means 'a narrow rowing boat for one person'.