clam
noun/klæm/
/klæm/
- a shellfish that can be eaten. It has a shell in two parts that can open and close.
- clam chowder/soup
- The moment I mentioned the children he closed up like a clam (= became silent and refused to discuss the topic).
Word Originearly 16th cent.: apparently from earlier clam ‘a clamp’, from Old English clam, clamm ‘a bond or bondage’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch klemme, German Klemme, also to clamp.Want to learn more?
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clam