clam
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Related to clam: clam up
clam 1
(klăm)n.
1.
a. Any of various usually burrowing marine and freshwater bivalve mollusks chiefly of the subclass Heterodonta, including members of the families Veneridae and Myidae, many of which are edible.
b. The soft edible body of such a mollusk.
2. Informal A close-mouthed person, especially one who can keep a secret.
3. Slang A dollar: owed them 75 clams.
intr.v. clammed, clam·ming, clams
Phrasal Verb: To hunt for clams.
clam up Informal
To refuse to talk.
[From obsolete clam-shell, shell that clamps, clam, from clam.]
clam′mer n.
clam 2
(klăm)n.
A clamp or vise.
[Middle English, from Old English clam, clamm, bond, fetter.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
clam
(klæm)n
1. (Animals) any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long
2. (Cookery) the edible flesh of such a mollusc
3. informal a reticent person
vb, clams, clamming or clammed
(intr) chiefly US to gather clams
[C16: from earlier clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English clamm fetter, Old High German klamma constriction; see clamp1]
clam
(klæm)vb, clams, clamming or clammed
a variant of clem
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
clam
(klæm)n., v. clammed, clam•ming. n.
1. any of various usu. edible bivalve mollusks with equal shells closed by two adductor muscles, inhabiting shallow seas or fresh waters. Compare quahog.
2. Informal. a secretive or silent person.
3. Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar.
v.i. 4. to gather or dig clams.
5. clam up, Informal. to refuse to talk or reply: so shy that he clams up in public.
[1585–95; short for clamshell, with clam clamp (now dial.; Middle English; Old English: bond, fetter, c. Old High German chlamma)]
clam′like`, adj.
clam′mer, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
clam
(klăm) Any of various bivalve mollusks having equal shells and a burrowing foot, some of which are edible. Clams include both marine and freshwater species.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Clam
a stack or pile of bricks; a heap of oysters.Examples: clam of bricks, 1663; of earth, 1554; of oysters.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
clam
Past participle: clammed
Gerund: clamming
| Imperative |
|---|
| clam |
| clam |
clam
Past participle: clammed
Gerund: clamming
| Imperative |
|---|
| clam |
| clam |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  clam - burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmnessbivalve, lamellibranch, pelecypod - marine or freshwater mollusks having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together Mya arenaria, soft-shell clam, long-neck clam, steamer clam, steamer - an edible clam with thin oval-shaped shell found in coastal regions of the United States and Europe Mercenaria mercenaria, hard clam, Venus mercenaria, hard-shell clam, quahaug, quahog, round clam - an edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians geoduck - a large edible clam found burrowing deeply in sandy mud along the Pacific coast of North America; weighs up to six pounds; has siphons that can extend to several feet and cannot be withdrawn into the shell giant clam, Tridacna gigas - a large clam inhabiting reefs in the southern Pacific and weighing up to 500 pounds shipworm, teredinid - wormlike marine bivalve that bores into wooden piers and ships by means of drill-like shells clam - flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams |
| 2. |  clam - a piece of paper money worth one dollarU.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776 bank bill, bank note, banker's bill, banknote, Federal Reserve note, government note, greenback, bill, note - a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank); "he peeled off five one-thousand-zloty notes" | |
| 3. | clam - flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams clam - burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness shellfish - meat of edible aquatic invertebrate with a shell (especially a mollusk or crustacean) hard-shell clam, quahaug, quahog, round clam - Atlantic coast round clams with hard shells; large clams usually used for chowders or other clam dishes long-neck clam, soft-shell clam, steamer, steamer clam - a clam that is usually steamed in the shell | |
| Verb | 1. | clam - gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean gather, pull together, collect, garner - assemble or get together; "gather some stones"; "pull your thoughts together" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
بطلينوس: سَمَكٌ صَدَفي
mlžškeble
musling
kagyló
skelfiskur
moliuskas
ēdamais gliemezis
lastúrnik
clam
[klæm]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
clam
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
clam
(klӕm) noun a shellfish with two shells joined together, used as food.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
clam
n. almeja.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012