elephant’s trunk. Though most are 3 lb/1.5 kg,
geoducks can reach 15 lb/8 kg with a neck 3
ft/1 m long!
Food Words: Mollusc, Abalone, Clam,
Oyster, Scallop, Squid
The general term for these hard-shelled
creatures, mollusc, comes from the Indo-
European root mel, meaning “soft,” which
the inner body parts indeed are. Abalone
entered English via Spanish from the
Monterey Indian word for this streamlined
snail, aulun. Clam began in the Indo-
European gel, a compact mass: cloud,
cling, and clamp are its linguistic relatives.
Mussel derives from the Indo-European
mus, meaning both “mouse” and “muscle,”
which moves quickly like a mouse under
the skin. Since mussels hardly move at all,
their dark, oblong shapes must have
suggested the comparison. Oyster, from the
Indo-European ost, “bone,” names the