HARD-SHELL CLAM

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does hard-shell clam mean? 

• HARD-SHELL CLAM (noun)
  The noun HARD-SHELL CLAM has 2 senses:

1. Atlantic coast round clams with hard shells; large clams usually used for chowders or other clam dishes

2. an edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians

  Familiarity information: HARD-SHELL CLAM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HARD-SHELL CLAM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Atlantic coast round clams with hard shells; large clams usually used for chowders or other clam dishes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

hard-shell clam; quahaug; quahog; round clam

Hypernyms ("hard-shell clam" is a kind of...):

clam (flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hard-shell clam"):

littleneck; littleneck clam (a quahog when young and small; usually eaten raw; an important food popular in New York)

cherrystone; cherrystone clam (small quahog larger than a littleneck; eaten raw or cooked as in e.g. clams casino)

Holonyms ("hard-shell clam" is a part of...):

hard-shell clam; hard clam; Mercenaria mercenaria; quahaug; quahog; round clam; Venus mercenaria (an edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

hard-shell clam; hard clam; Mercenaria mercenaria; quahaug; quahog; round clam; Venus mercenaria

Hypernyms ("hard-shell clam" is a kind of...):

clam (burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness)

Meronyms (parts of "hard-shell clam"):

hard-shell clam; quahaug; quahog; round clam (Atlantic coast round clams with hard shells; large clams usually used for chowders or other clam dishes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hard-shell clam"):

littleneck; littleneck clam (a young quahog)

cherrystone; cherrystone clam (a half-grown quahog)

Holonyms ("hard-shell clam" is a member of...):

genus Venus; Venus (type genus of the family Veneridae: genus of edible clams with thick oval shells)