mussel

[ muhs-uh l ]
/ ˈmʌs əl /

noun

any bivalve mollusk, especially an edible marine bivalve of the family Mytilidae and a freshwater clam of the family Unionidae.

Origin of mussel

before 1000; Middle English, Old English muscle < Vulgar Latin *mūscula, variant of Latin mūsculus little mouse, sea mussel. See muscle

Example sentences from the Web for mussel

British Dictionary definitions for mussel

mussel
/ (ˈmʌsəl) /

noun

any of various marine bivalves of the genus Mytilus and related genera, esp M. edulis (edible mussel), having a dark slightly elongated shell and living attached to rocks, etc,
any of various freshwater bivalves of the genera Anodonta, Unio, etc, attached to rocks, sand, etc having a flattened oval shell (a source of mother-of-pearl). The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, can be a serious nuisance in water mains

Word Origin for mussel

Old English muscle, from Vulgar Latin muscula (unattested), from Latin musculus, diminutive of mūs mouse