Mussel Definition

mŭsəl

noun

Any of various marine bivalve mollusks that attach to hard surfaces in intertidal areas with byssal threads, especially the edible members of the family Mytilidae and in particular Mytilus edulis, a blue-black species of the North Atlantic Ocean, raised commercially for food.

American Heritage Medicine

Any of numerous freshwater bivalve mollusks of the order Unionoida that burrow in the sand or mud of rivers, streams, and ponds.

American Heritage Medicine

Any of various bivalve mollusks.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Mussel

Noun

Singular:

mussel

Plural:

mussels

Origin of Mussel

Alteration (possibly influenced by Dutch mossel) of Middle English muscle from Old English muscelle from Medieval Latin mūscula from Latin mūsculus sea mussel muscle

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Latin mÅ«sculus (“mussel or muscle"), literally "little mouse".

From Wiktionary