mussel

IPA/ˈmʌsl/
KK[mˈʌsəl]IPA/ˈmʌsl/

mussel — noun

  • musselsingular
  • musselsplural

1. an ocean-dwelling animal whose narrow, dark, hinged shell opens into two matchin

1.名詞B2
釋義

an ocean-dwelling animal whose narrow, dark, hinged shell opens into two matching halves; the soft meat inside is often steamed and eaten.

例句

Nkechi gathered fresh mussels from the rocks at low tide.

typical setting: gathering shellfish from rocks at low tide

The chef in Brussels served a big pot of mussels with white wine and parsley.

common dish collocation: mussels with white wine

同義詞
  • shellfish

    general word covering mussels, clams, oysters, and similar sea creatures with shells

  • bivalve

    technical term for sea creatures whose shell has two matching halves

用法筆記

Countable noun; the plural 'mussels' is used much more often than the singular because the shellfish is usually eaten or gathered in groups. Do not confuse with the homophone 'muscle' (body tissue).

常見錯誤

❌I ate a mussel soup last night.
✅I ate a bowl of mussel soup last night.
💡use a quantity word like 'bowl of' rather than 'a' before a dish made of many shellfish.
❌He pulled a muscle out of its shell.
✅He pulled a mussel out of its shell.
💡'muscle' is body tissue; 'mussel' is the shellfish.