noun
mussel
MUH-suhl
noun
1
A bivalve shellfish with a dark, elongated shell, found in both fresh and salt water and often eaten as seafood.
"They ordered a pot of mussels steamed in white wine and garlic."
How to Use Mussel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA shellfish with a dark oval shell, popular in seafood dishes.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with muscle (body tissue) — they sound identical but are spelled differently and come from unrelated senses of the same Latin root.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
mussels and chips
a bag of mussels
Word Forms
mussels plural
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They ordered a pot of _____ steamed in white wine and garlic.
Etymology
From Old English muscle, ultimately from Latin musculus ("mussel" or "little mouse") — the same root that gives us the word muscle.