mollusc

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell

   The shell belonged to a small marine mollusc.

2. 2
   noun

   A soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, typically with a hard shell of one or more pieces.

   bivalve molluscs

3. 3
   noun

   A weak-willed person.

   The shell belonged to a small marine mollusc.

Simplified etymology

Mollusc, recorded in the late 18th century, derives from Latin mollis, meaning “soft,” in reference to the animal’s soft body. The same Latin word lies behind mollify and emollient and shares an Indo-European root with melt and mild.

Borrowed from French mollusque, from New Latin Mollusca (phylum name), from Latin molluscus (“thin-shelled”), from mollis (“soft”).

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary