bivalve

adjective

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bi·valve | \ ˈbī-ˌvalv

Definition of bivalve

(Entry 1 of 2)

: being or having a shell composed of two valves

bivalve

noun

Definition of bivalve (Entry 2 of 2)

: any of a class (Bivalvia synonym Pelecypoda) of typically marine mollusks (such as clams, oysters, or scallops) that have a 2-valved hinged shell, are usually filter feeders, and lack a distinct head

Examples of bivalve in a Sentence

Noun clams, mussels, oysters, and other bivalves

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The town’s big, bivalve-themed bash, Wellfleet Oyster Fest, happens annually on the weekend after Columbus Day (Oct. 19 and 20 this year) along Main Street. — BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2019 Deep-sea wood borers (Xylophaga, a genus of bivalve mollusks) take over where shallow water gribbles and shipworms left off. — Brian Payton, Smithsonian, 9 Feb. 2018 In 2005, the oyster as aphrodisiac got a big boost as many consumer publications reported that bivalve mollusks (which include clams, oysters, mussels and scallops) had been found to have desire-inducing properties. — Alicia Ault, Smithsonian, 13 Feb. 2017 While the lyric connotes cozy relations between the famously fertile shellfish of this bivalve capital, feelings among shellfishermen themselves are decidedly less friendly. — Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, 30 June 2017 In 2005, the oyster as aphrodisiac got a big boost as many consumer publications reported that bivalve mollusks (which include clams, oysters, mussels and scallops) had been found to have desire-inducing properties. — Alicia Ault, Smithsonian, 13 Feb. 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The little bay scallop is a delicious bivalve mollusk that’s indigenous throughout the East Coast of the US from New England to Florida and along the Gulf Coast to Texas. — Popular Science, 19 Oct. 2020 But watch out: Unlike their other bivalve buddies, scallops can swim across the ocean floor—quite quickly!—by clapping their shells together. — Mary Tomlinson, Southern Living, 30 June 2020 Scallops are a type of bivalve mollusk, meaning the interior muscle is surrounded by two shells similarly to oysters, mussels, and clams. — Mary Tomlinson, Southern Living, 30 June 2020 The bivalves, just a few months old, were barely larger than a pencil tip. — Katherine Kornei, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2020 Meanwhile Hama Hama Company, the bivalve farm that usually supplies most of the city’s top restaurants, is shipping fresh oysters and clams to anyone looking to recreate the Seattle seafood experience at home. — Jessica Voelker, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Apr. 2020 But the bivalves probably didn’t drift there, because circulating ocean currents effectively barricade Antarctica. — Katherine Kornei, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2020 Burrowing bivalves had embedded themselves inside the material—in fact, the things drilled right into the specimen’s skull. — Matt Simon, Wired, 11 Mar. 2020 Selected from gulf, east, or west, a variety of bivalves satisfy a refined palate with preferences in brine, salinity, and creaminess. — al, 3 Mar. 2020

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