abalone

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noun ab·a·lo·ne \ ˌa-bə-ˈlō-nē , ˈa-bə-ˌ \

Definition of abalone

:any of a genus (Haliotis) of edible rock-clinging gastropod mollusks that have a flattened shell slightly spiral in form, lined with mother-of-pearl, and with a row of apertures along its outer edge

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Recent Examples of abalone from the Web

Tucker surfed in Costa Rica, off Mexico and in the Pacific, fished, and dove for abalone.

— diane herbst, PEOPLE.com, "Californian Killed in Barcelona Attack While Celebrating Wedding Anniversary ‘Didn’t Live a Life Afraid’ of Terrorism," 19 Aug. 2017
From a flattop grill helmed by a single chef, guests try an excellent twist on a tamale that’s almost as airy as a soufflé, in addition to quarter-sized baby abalone served with a sauce made from its own liver.

— kat odell, Condé Nast Traveler, "A 40-Course Meal at Enigma, Barcelona's Most Secretive Restaurant," 28 June 2017
The buttons made in William Masinda's shop were fashioned from abalone and other types of shell harvested in the waters of Australia and New Zealand.

— annie gentile, Courant Community, "Historical Society Offers Tours Of Masinda Button Factory," 20 June 2017
Standing beside a piece of drilling equipment, Mark Masinda holds a piece of abalone shell from which button blanks have been drilled.

— annie gentile, Courant Community, "Historical Society Offers Tours Of Masinda Button Factory," 20 June 2017
Bake, the Trinidadian bread that is not baked but fried, is topped with slices of lardo and local abalone instead of the traditional shark bits.

— pete wells, New York Times, "Sydney’s New Guard: Five Restaurants Leading the Way," 13 June 2017
In between there are tiny ring bags a gal could dangle from her finger, purses made from abalone shells, purses with swingy flapper fringe and gold-mesh glamour bags from the 1950’s.

— karla peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego purse exhibit has women's history in the bag," 9 June 2017
And the menu, Nguyen said, will have the kind of food typically served at a Vietnamese wedding banquet, like abalone and sautéed lobster.

— NOLA.com, "Magasin Cafe, an Uptown Vietnamese restaurant, will go upscale," 31 May 2017
The black bean sauce with steamed spare ribs tastes especially savory; the abalone sauce on the chicken feet a bit richer than the typical oyster sauce.

— pete wells, New York Times, "New Dumplings to Hunt, by Way of Hong Kong," 30 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abalone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of abalone

American Spanish abulón, from Rumsen (American Indian language of Monterey Bay, California) aulon

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First Known Use: 1850

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ABALONE Defined for English Language Learners

abalone

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noun

Definition of abalone for English Language Learners

: a type of shellfish that is eaten as food and that has a shell that is lined with a hard white material (called mother-of-pearl)

ABALONE Defined for Kids

abalone

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noun ab·a·lo·ne \ ˌa-bə-ˈlō-nē \

Definition of abalone for Students

:a shellfish that is a mollusk which has a flattened shell with a pearly lining

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See words that rhyme with abalone Spanish Central: Translation of abalone Nglish: Translation of abalone for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of abalone for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about abalone

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abalone

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