mussel

noun

mus·​sel ˈmə-səl 

1

: a marine bivalve mollusk (especially genus Mytilus) usually having a dark elongated shell

2

: a freshwater bivalve mollusk (as of Unio, Anodonta, or related genera) that is especially abundant in rivers of the central U.S. and has a shell lined with mother-of-pearl

Examples of mussel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There, at the seaside restaurant Da Emilia, Tucci tried a spaghetti and mussels dish the chef’s eponymous grandmother had taught her to make years earlier. — Matthew Jacobs, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2026

In years past, only a handful of divers have been permitted by the park to descend to the site where the plane’s aluminum body lays upholstered with colonies of invasive mussels. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Golden mussels can eradicate fish populations and erode delta habitats, and California farmers could lose their water. — Ashley Sharp, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

The Urban Stream Research Center, the only facility of its kind in Illinois, raises mussels in captivity. — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English muscle, from Old English muscelle, from Vulgar Latin *muscula, from Latin musculus muscle, mussel

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mussel

• blue mussel
• quagga mussel
• zebra mussel

Rhymes for mussel

• bustle
• hustle
• muscle
• russel
• rustle
• trussell
• tussle
• mofussil

Kids Definition

mussel

noun

mus·​sel ˈməs-əl 

1

: any of various edible saltwater mollusks with a long dark hinged double shell

2

: any of numerous freshwater mollusks of rivers of the central U.S. whose hinged double shells are lined with mother-of-pearl