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