mol·lusc (m l  sk)n. Variant of mollusk. |
mollusc US, mollusk [ˈmɒləsk]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, having a soft unsegmented body and often a shell, secreted by a fold of skin (the mantle). The group includes the gastropods (snails, slugs, etc.), bivalves (clams, mussels, etc.), and cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopuses, etc.)
[via New Latin from Latin molluscus, from mollis soft]
molluscan US, molluskan [mɒˈlʌskən] adj & n
mollusc-like US, mollusk-like adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  mollusc - invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shellcarapace, cuticle, shell, shield - hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles invertebrate - any animal lacking a backbone or notochord; the term is not used as a scientific classification Mollusca, phylum Mollusca - gastropods; bivalves; cephalopods; chitons scaphopod - burrowing marine mollusk gastropod, univalve - a class of mollusks typically having a one-piece coiled shell and flattened muscular foot with a head bearing stalked eyes coat-of-mail shell, polyplacophore, sea cradle, chiton - primitive elongated bilaterally symmetrical marine mollusk having a mantle covered with eight calcareous plates bivalve, lamellibranch, pelecypod - marine or freshwater mollusks having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together cephalopod, cephalopod mollusk - marine mollusk characterized by well-developed head and eyes and sucker-bearing tentacles shellfish - meat of edible aquatic invertebrate with a shell (especially a mollusk or crustacean) |
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