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   shell

   /ʃɛl/

   noun

   • 1. the hard protective outer case of a mollusc or crustacean: "cowrie shells" Similar carapaceoutsideexteriorarmour
   • ▪ the thin outer covering of an animal's egg, which is hard and fragile in that of a bird but leathery in that of a reptile.
   • ▪ the outer case of a nut kernel or seed: "peanuts roasted in their shells" Similar podcasingcasehuskhullintegumentcovercoveringshuck
   • ▪ the carapace of a tortoise, turtle, or terrapin.
   • ▪ the wing cases of a beetle.
   • ▪ the integument of an insect pupa or chrysalis.
   • ▪ used with reference to a state of shyness or introversion: "she'll soon come out of her shell with the right encouragement"
   • 2. an explosive artillery projectile or bomb: "the sound of the shell passing over, followed by the explosion" Similar projectilebombgrenadebulletcartridgeshotrare:trajectile
   • ▪ a hollow metal or paper case used as a container for fireworks, explosives, or cartridges.
   • ▪ a cartridge. North American
   • 3. something resembling or likened to a shell because of its shape or its function as an outer case: "pasta shells"
   • ▪ the walls of an unfinished or gutted building or other structure: "the hotel was a shell, the roof having collapsed completely"
   • ▪ an outer form without substance: "he was a shell of the man he had been previously"
   • 4. the metal framework of a vehicle body. Similar frameworkframechassisskeletonbasic structurehullexterior
   • 5. a light racing boat.
   • 6. an inner or roughly made coffin.
   • 7. the hand guard of a sword.
   • 8. each of a set of orbitals around the nucleus of an atom, occupied or able to be occupied by electrons of similar energies: "in a multi-electron atom, the lowest energy shells fill up first"
   • 9. short for shell program

   verb

   • 1. bombard with shells: "several villages north of the security zone were shelled" Similar bombardfire onopen fire onshoot atattackpoundbombblitzstrafearchaic:cannonade
   • ▪ score heavily against (an opposing pitcher or team): "Williams got shelled in the next inning"
   • 2. remove the shell or pod from (a nut or seed): "they were shelling peas" Similar extracthuskhullpodshuck

   Word Origin Old Englishscell (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schel ‘scale, shell’, also to scale1. The verb dates from the mid 16th century in shell (sense 2 of the verb).

   Derivatives

   • 1. shell-less adjective
   • 2. shelly adjective

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • S

     1

   • H

     4

   • E

     1

   • L

     1

   • L

     1

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