shellwork

[ shel-wurk ]
/ ˈʃɛlˌwɜrk /

noun

decorative work composed of seashells: an elaborate picture frame decorated with shellwork.

Origin of shellwork

First recorded in 1605–15; shell + work

Words nearby shellwork

shellfire, shellfish, shellfishery, shellflower, shellproof, shellwork, shelly, shelta, shelter, shelter belt, shelter deck

Example sentences from the Web for shellwork

  • They have belts of shellwork slung across their shoulders, and are armed with bows and arrows, and flint-headed spears.

    Grandfather's Chair |Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • And you hate the very sight of shellwork and cone-frames, and Grecian painting, and all such vanities?

    Husks |Marion Harland

  • He revelled in elaborate combinations of shellwork and impossible foliage.

    Chats on Old Furniture |Arthur Hayden