Jingle-Shell
/ˈdʒɪŋɡəl ʃɛl/noun
A thin, translucent marine bivalve mollusk of the family Anomiidae, named for the sound its shells can make when they are moved together.
Did you know?Jingle-shells attach themselves to rocks, pilings, and other hard surfaces using a natural opening and a threadlike structure called a byssus.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“To cut, split, or cleave; the ancestral idea behind several words for divided or husk-like coverings.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skaljō
“A shell, husk, or covering; the source of the Germanic family behind English shell.”
Old English
Old English
sciell
“A shell, husk, or protective outer covering.”
Middle English
Middle English
ginglen
“To make a light, repeated ringing or clinking sound; probably an expressive sound-formation.”
14th–15th Century
English
shell
“A hard outer covering, especially that of an egg, nut, or mollusk.”
19th Century
English
jingle-shell
“A common name for thin marine bivalve shells associated with a jingling sound when handled.”
Modern English
English
jingle-shell
“A marine bivalve mollusk of the family Anomiidae, also called a windowpane oyster.”