marine mussel
- noun
- /mɚˈin ˈmʌsəl/
:
mejillón
- The rocky coastline was covered in clusters of marine mussels clinging tightly to the stones.
Examples
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Many seabirds feed on marine mussels by dropping them from heights to crack their shells.
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Harvesting marine mussels at low tide is a common practice in many coastal communities.
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The marine mussel clings to the rocks in the tide pool.
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Many marine mussels thrive in the coastal waters of California.
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Harvesting marine mussels at low tide is a common practice in many coastal communities.
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The rocky coastline was covered in clusters of marine mussels clinging tightly to the stones.
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Many marine mussels thrive in the coastal waters of California.
Synonyms
40
2.4
A sea or river animal with a dark long shell that people eat
2
6.3
A water animal with a soft body inside two hinged shells, like a clam or oyster
A sea animal like a mussel with two long dark shells that attaches to rocks
A common edible mussel with a dark blue or black shell that clings to rocks on coasts
A group of sea mussels with smooth shells like the blue mussel
A small sea animal with a hard shell that people can eat
A sea animal with a soft body inside two shells joined at one side, like a clam or oyster
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'marine' (sea-related) modifies 'mussel' (a bivalve), so the meaning 'a mussel that lives in saltwater' is directly derivable from the parts. This is a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.
Etymology
Marine mussel may come from an old word meaning 'little mouse' because people thought the shell or the soft meat looked like a small mouse. The word marine means 'sea', so marine mussel now names a sea shellfish that lives on and clings to rocks.