shell
shell Lexical Profile
shell Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The hard protective outer casing of an animal (such as a mollusk or turtle), an egg, or a seed.
"We walked along the beach collecting beautiful seashells that had washed ashore overnight."
A metal projectile filled with explosive, incendiary, or other material, designed to be fired from large artillery.
"The artillery shell exploded just outside the bunker, sending shockwaves through the ground."
An empty outer structure or framework of a building, vehicle, or organization that lacks its expected interior components.
"After the devastating fire, only the stone shell of the historic church remained standing."
• verb
To remove the protective outer covering or pod from a nut, seed, or animal.
"The recipe requires you to shell the peas before boiling them in salted water."
To bombard a target or area continuously with artillery projectiles.
"The military forces began to shell the opposing positions along the ridge at dawn."
• Rhymes for shell
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'sciell' or 'scyll' (meaning 'shell' or 'scale'), of Germanic origin. It shares an Indo-European root meaning 'to split' or 'to peel', which also evolved into the words 'scale' and 'skill'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.