Current theme: Creative Learning Fortnight in association with Artis
shell
- 1) noun, the protective calcareous or membranous outer layer of an egg, esp a bird's egg
- 2) noun, the hard outer covering of many molluscs that is secreted by the mantle
- 3) noun, any other hard outer layer, such as the exoskeleton of many arthropods
- 4) noun, the hard outer layer of some fruits, esp of nuts
- 5) noun, any hard outer case
- 6) noun, a hollow artillery projectile filled with explosive primed to explode either during flight, on impact, or after penetration. Compare ball
- 7) noun, a small-arms cartridge comprising a hollow casing inside which is the primer, charge, and bullet
- 8) noun, a pyrotechnic cartridge designed to explode in the air
- 9) noun, rowing a very light narrow racing boat
- 10) noun, the external structure of a building, esp one that is unfinished or one that has been gutted by fire
- 11) noun, the basic structural case of something, such as a machine, vehicle, etc
- 12) noun, physics a) a class of electron orbits in an atom in which the electrons have the same principal quantum number and orbital angular momentum quantum number and differences in their energy are small compared with differences in energy between shells b) an analogous energy state of nucleons in certain theories (shell models) of the structure of the atomic nucleus
- 13) noun, the pastry case of a pie, flan, etc
- 14) noun, a thin slab of concrete or a skeletal framework made of wood or metal that forms a shell-like roof
- 15) noun, (in some schools) a class or form
- 16) noun, come (or bring) out of one's shell to become (or help to become) less shy and reserved
- 17) verb, to divest or be divested of a shell, husk, pod, etc
- 18) verb, to separate or be separated from an ear, husk, cob, etc
- 19) verb, to bombard with artillery shells ▷ See also shell out
Etymology
Old English sciell; related to Old Norse skel shell, Gothic skalja tile, Middle Low German schelle shell; see scale1, shale
Collins English Electronic Dictionary - Digital Edition: 2008 © HarperCollins Publishers 2008
Tweetymologies
How people on twitter are using the word shell
No video for this word, yet.
We're a video dictionary, but we're new and there are many words in the English language.
We're uploading new video definitions of words daily but we need your help. Does this word have a special meaning to you? If so we'd love to see you define it through video.
Popular videos
Related words
Synonyms
case, husk, pod, shuck, carapace, armour, frame, structure, hull, framework, skeleton, chassis, husk, shuck, bomb, barrage, bombard, attack, strike, blitz, strafe (Informal), pay out, fork out (slang), expend, give, hand over, lay out (informal), disburse