Adjacent Words

Clam definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLAM, n. [See the Verb.] The popular name of certain bivalvular shell-fish, of many species.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness
2: a piece of paper money worth one dollar [syn: dollar, dollar bill, one dollar bill, buck, clam]
3: flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams v
1: gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English clamm bond, fetter; akin to Old High German klamma constriction and perhaps to Latin glomus ball Date: before 12th century clamp, clasp II. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: ¹clam; from the clamping action of the shells Date: circa 1520 1. a. any of numerous edible marine bivalve mollusks living in sand or mud b. a freshwater mussel 2. a stolid or closemouthed person 3. clamshell 4. dollar 3 III. intransitive verb (clammed; clamming) Date: 1636 to gather clams especially by digging • clammer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 any bivalve mollusc, esp. the edible N. American hard or round clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) or the soft or long clam (Mya arenaria). 2 colloq. a shy or withdrawn person. --v.intr. (clammed, clamming) 1 dig for clams. 2 (foll. by up) colloq. refuse to talk. Etymology: 16th c.: app. f. clam a clamp

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clam Clam, n. [Cf. Clamp, Clam, v. t., Clammy.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; as, the long clam (Mya arenaria), the quahog or round clam (Venus mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species of the United States. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve. You shall scarce find any bay or shallow shore, or cove of sand, where you may not take many clampes, or lobsters, or both, at your pleasure. --Capt. John Smith (1616). Clams, or clamps, is a shellfish not much unlike a coclke; it lieth under the sand. --Wood (1634). 2. (Ship Carp.) Strong pinchers or forceps. 3. pl. (Mech.) A kind of vise, usually of wood. Blood clam. See under Blood.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clam Clam (cl[a^]m), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clammed; p. pr. & vb. n. Clamming.] [Cf. AS. cl[ae]man to clam, smear; akin to Icel. kleima to smear, OHG. kleimjan, chleimen, to defile, or E. clammy.] To clog, as with glutinous or viscous matter. A swarm of wasps got into a honey pot, and there they cloyed and clammed Themselves till there was no getting out again. --L'Estrange.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clam Clam, v. i. To be moist or glutinous; to stick; to adhere. [R.] --Dryden

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clam Clam, n. Claminess; moisture. [R.] ``The clam of death.'' --Carlyle.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clam Clam, n. [Abbrev. fr. clamor.] A crash or clangor made by ringing all the bells of a chime at once. --Nares.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clam Clam, v. t. & i. To produce, in bell ringing, a clam or clangor; to cause to clang. --Nares.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(clams, clamming, clammed) Clams are a kind of shellfish which can be eaten. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Clog (with glutinous matter).

Moby Thesaurus

Chilopoda, Chordata, Dungeness crab, Echiuroidea, Ectoprocta, Entoprocta, Japanese crab, Laconian, Monoplacophora, Nemertinea, Phoronidea, Spartan, angle, bait the hook, blue point, bob, coquillage, crab, crawdad, crawfish, crayfish, dap, dib, dibble, drive, fish, fly-fish, gig, go fishing, grig, guddle, jack, jacklight, jig, laconic, langouste, limpet, littleneck clam, lobster, mussel, net, oyster, periwinkle, prawn, quahog, scallop, seine, shellfish, shrimp, snail, soft-shell crab, spin, steamer, still-fish, torch, trawl, troll, whale, whelk