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Glite Dictionary
pearly-shelled mussel

pearly-shelled mussel

6.7
A shellfish with a shiny inner shell often used to make mother-of-pearl
  • noun
translation icon : mejillón perlado
  • Artisans collect pearly-shelled mussels for their valuable mother-of-pearl.

Examples

  • She admired the delicate luster of the pearly-shelled mussel found on the shore.

  • The river's pearly-shelled mussel population has declined due to pollution.

  • The pearly-shelled mussel is known for its beautiful interior.

  • I found a pearly-shelled mussel while walking along the river.

  • Artisans collect pearly-shelled mussels for their valuable mother-of-pearl.

  • The river's pearly-shelled mussel population has declined due to pollution.

  • She admired the delicate luster of the pearly-shelled mussel found on the shore.

Synonyms

mussel
vspearly-shelled mussel
40 2.4

A sea or river animal with a dark long shell that people eat

has a shiny inner shell prized for mother of pearl rather than for food

Surface Forms

pearly-shelled mussel singular
pearly-shelled mussels plural

Morphology

pearly-shelled + mussel

The phrase straightforwardly describes a mussel whose shell is pearly: it is compositionally built from the adjectives/parts 'pearly' + 'shelled' modifying 'mussel'. A B1 learner who knows 'pearly' (having a pearly sheen), 'shelled' (having a shell) and 'mussel' can infer the meaning, since adjective + noun compounding is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern.

Etymology

The noun pearly-shelled mussel comes from the shell's shiny, pearl-like inside: people called the shell pearly and the animal mussel, because it has a hard shelled cover. That's why the name means a mussel with a shiny inner layer often used as 'mother-of-pearl'.