Main Entry: mol·lusk

Variant(s): or mol·lusc \ˈmä-ləsk\

Function: noun

Etymology: French mollusque, from New Latin Mollusca, from Latin, neuter plural of molluscus thin-shelled (of a nut), from mollis

Date: 1783

: any of a large phylum (Mollusca) of invertebrate animals (as snails, clams, or squids) with a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a calcareous shell; broadly : shellfish

— mol·lus·can also mol·lus·kan \mə-ˈləs-kən, mä-\ adjective