scallop

/ˈskæləp/

/ˈskæləp/

Other forms: scalloped; scallops; scalloping

A scallop is a kind of saltwater shellfish that swims by opening and closing its shell. Cooked scallops are a popular seafood as well.

The word scallop can actually refer to a few types of mollusks, including some clams and the thorny oyster. In the ocean, scallops are known for swimming extremely fast by moving their valves, or each half of the shell they live inside. You may also encounter scallops on the menu of a seafood restaurant. The curved edge of a scallop shell led to another meaning of scallop, "rounded ornamental edging," like the scallops on a skirt's hem or woodwork.

Definitions of scallop

1. noun

   edible marine bivalve having a fluted fan-shaped shell that swim by expelling water from the shell in a series of snapping motions
   synonyms: escallop, scollop

   types:

   Pecten irradians, bay scallop

   a small scallop inhabiting shallow waters and mud flats of the Atlantic coast of North America

   Pecten magellanicus, giant scallop, sea scallop

   a large scallop inhabiting deep waters of the Atlantic coast of North America

   type of:

   bivalve, lamellibranch, pelecypod

   marine or freshwater mollusk having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together
2. noun

   edible muscle of mollusks having fan-shaped shells; served broiled or poached or in salads or cream sauces
   synonyms: escallop, scollop

   types:

   sea scallop

   muscle of large deep-water scallops

   bay scallop

   muscle of small choice shallow-water scallops

   type of:

   shellfish

   meat of edible aquatic invertebrate with a shell (especially a mollusk or crustacean)
3. noun

   thin slice of meat (especially veal) usually fried or broiled
   synonyms: cutlet, escallop, scollop

   type of:

   piece, slice

   a serving that has been cut from a larger portion
4. verb

   fish for scallops
   synonyms: scollop

   type of:

   fish

   catch or try to catch fish or shellfish
5. verb

   bake in a sauce, milk, etc., often with breadcrumbs on top
   synonyms: escallop

   type of:

   cook, fix, make, prepare, ready

   prepare for eating by applying heat
6. noun

   one of a series of rounded projections (or the notches between them) formed by curves along an edge (as the edge of a leaf or piece of cloth or the margin of a shell or a shriveled red blood cell observed in a hypertonic solution etc.)
   synonyms: crenation, crenature, crenel, crenelle

   type of:

   curve, curved shape

   the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
7. verb

   shape or cut in scallops
   “scallop the hem of the dress”

   synonyms: scollop

   type of:

   form, shape

   give shape or form to
8. verb

   form scallops in
   “scallop the meat”

   synonyms: scollop

   type of:

   core out, hollow, hollow out

   remove the interior of
9. verb

   decorate an edge with scallops
   “the dress had a scalloped skirt”

   type of:

   adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, grace, ornament

   make more attractive by adding ornament, color, etc.