Shell (?), n. [OE. shelle,
schelle, AS. scell, scyll; akin to D.
shel, Icel. skel, Goth. skalja a tile, and E.
skill. Cf. Scale of fishes, Shale,
Skill.] 1. A hard outside covering, as of
a fruit or an animal. Specifically: (a) The
covering, or outside part, of a nut; as, a hazelnut
shell. (b) A pod.
(c) The hard covering of an egg.
Think him as a serpent's egg, . . .
And kill him in the shell.
Shak.
(d) (Zoöl.) The hard calcareous or
chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other
invertebrates. In some mollusks, as the cuttlefishes, it is internal,
or concealed by the mantle. Also, the hard covering of some
vertebrates, as the armadillo, the tortoise, and the like.
(e) (Zoöl.) Hence, by extension, any
mollusks having such a covering.
2. (Mil.) A hollow projectile, of
various shapes, adapted for a mortar or a cannon, and containing an
explosive substance, ignited with a fuse or by percussion, by means of
which the projectile is burst and its fragments scattered. See
Bomb.
3. The case which holds the powder, or charge
of powder and shot, used with breechloading small arms.
4. Any slight hollow structure; a framework,
or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in; as, the
shell of a house.
5. A coarse kind of coffin; also, a thin
interior coffin inclosed in a more substantial one.
Knight.
6. An instrument of music, as a lyre, -- the
first lyre having been made, it is said, by drawing strings over a
tortoise shell.
When Jubal struck the chorded
shell.
Dryden.
7. An engraved copper roller used in print
works.
8. pl. The husks of cacao seeds, a
decoction of which is often used as a substitute for chocolate, cocoa,
etc.
9. (Naut.) The outer frame or case of a
block within which the sheaves revolve.
10. A light boat the frame of which is covered
with thin wood or with paper; as, a racing shell.
Message shell, a bombshell inside of which
papers may be put, in order to convey messages. -- Shell
bit, a tool shaped like a gouge, used with a brace in
boring wood. See Bit, n., 3. --
Shell button. (a) A button made
of shell. (b) A hollow button made of two
pieces, as of metal, one for the front and the other for the back, --
often covered with cloth, silk, etc. -- Shell
cameo, a cameo cut in shell instead of stone. --
Shell flower. (Bot.) Same as
Turtlehead. -- Shell gland.
(Zoöl.) (a) A glandular organ in which
the rudimentary shell is formed in embryonic mollusks.
(b) A glandular organ which secretes the eggshells
of various worms, crustacea, mollusks, etc. -- Shell
gun, a cannon suitable for throwing shells. --
Shell ibis (Zoöl.), the openbill of
India. -- Shell jacket, an undress military
jacket. -- Shell lime, lime made by burning
the shells of shellfish. -- Shell marl
(Min.), a kind of marl characterized by an abundance of
shells, or fragments of shells. -- Shell meat,
food consisting of shellfish, or testaceous mollusks.
Fuller. -- Shell mound. See under
Mound. -- Shell of a boiler, the
exterior of a steam boiler, forming a case to contain the water and
steam, often inclosing also flues and the furnace; the barrel of a
cylindrical, or locomotive, boiler. -- Shell
road, a road of which the surface or bed is made of
shells, as oyster shells. -- Shell sand,
minute fragments of shells constituting a considerable part of the
seabeach in some places.
Shell, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Shelled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Shelling.] 1. To strip or break off the
shell of; to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; as, to shell
nuts or pease; to shell oysters.
2. To separate the kernels of (an ear of
Indian corn, wheat, oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk.
3. To throw shells or bombs upon or into; to
bombard; as, to shell a town.
To shell out, to distribute freely; to bring
out or pay, as money. [Colloq.]
Shell, v. i. 1. To
fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.
2. To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to
fall out of the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in
falling.
3. To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as,
wheat or rye shells in reaping.
Shell (?), n. 1.
Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell;
specif.: (a) (Fireworks) A case or
cartridge containing a charge of explosive material, which bursts
after having been thrown high into the air. It is often elevated
through the agency of a larger firework in which it is
contained. (b) (Oil Wells) A
torpedo.
2. A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a
convex lens is ground to shape.
3. A gouge bit or shell bit.
Shell (?), n. [OE. shelle,
schelle, AS. scell, scyll; akin to D.
shel, Icel. skel, Goth. skalja a tile, and E.
skill. Cf. Scale of fishes, Shale,
Skill.] 1. A hard outside covering, as of
a fruit or an animal. Specifically: (a) The
covering, or outside part, of a nut; as, a hazelnut
shell. (b) A pod.
(c) The hard covering of an egg.
Think him as a serpent's egg, . . .
And kill him in the shell.
Shak.
(d) (Zoöl.) The hard calcareous or
chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other
invertebrates. In some mollusks, as the cuttlefishes, it is internal,
or concealed by the mantle. Also, the hard covering of some
vertebrates, as the armadillo, the tortoise, and the like.
(e) (Zoöl.) Hence, by extension, any
mollusks having such a covering.
2. (Mil.) A hollow projectile, of
various shapes, adapted for a mortar or a cannon, and containing an
explosive substance, ignited with a fuse or by percussion, by means of
which the projectile is burst and its fragments scattered. See
Bomb.
3. The case which holds the powder, or charge
of powder and shot, used with breechloading small arms.
4. Any slight hollow structure; a framework,
or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in; as, the
shell of a house.
5. A coarse kind of coffin; also, a thin
interior coffin inclosed in a more substantial one.
Knight.
6. An instrument of music, as a lyre, -- the
first lyre having been made, it is said, by drawing strings over a
tortoise shell.
When Jubal struck the chorded
shell.
Dryden.
7. An engraved copper roller used in print
works.
8. pl. The husks of cacao seeds, a
decoction of which is often used as a substitute for chocolate, cocoa,
etc.
9. (Naut.) The outer frame or case of a
block within which the sheaves revolve.
10. A light boat the frame of which is covered
with thin wood or with paper; as, a racing shell.
Message shell, a bombshell inside of which
papers may be put, in order to convey messages. -- Shell
bit, a tool shaped like a gouge, used with a brace in
boring wood. See Bit, n., 3. --
Shell button. (a) A button made
of shell. (b) A hollow button made of two
pieces, as of metal, one for the front and the other for the back, --
often covered with cloth, silk, etc. -- Shell
cameo, a cameo cut in shell instead of stone. --
Shell flower. (Bot.) Same as
Turtlehead. -- Shell gland.
(Zoöl.) (a) A glandular organ in which
the rudimentary shell is formed in embryonic mollusks.
(b) A glandular organ which secretes the eggshells
of various worms, crustacea, mollusks, etc. -- Shell
gun, a cannon suitable for throwing shells. --
Shell ibis (Zoöl.), the openbill of
India. -- Shell jacket, an undress military
jacket. -- Shell lime, lime made by burning
the shells of shellfish. -- Shell marl
(Min.), a kind of marl characterized by an abundance of
shells, or fragments of shells. -- Shell meat,
food consisting of shellfish, or testaceous mollusks.
Fuller. -- Shell mound. See under
Mound. -- Shell of a boiler, the
exterior of a steam boiler, forming a case to contain the water and
steam, often inclosing also flues and the furnace; the barrel of a
cylindrical, or locomotive, boiler. -- Shell
road, a road of which the surface or bed is made of
shells, as oyster shells. -- Shell sand,
minute fragments of shells constituting a considerable part of the
seabeach in some places.
Shell, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Shelled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Shelling.] 1. To strip or break off the
shell of; to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; as, to shell
nuts or pease; to shell oysters.
2. To separate the kernels of (an ear of
Indian corn, wheat, oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk.
3. To throw shells or bombs upon or into; to
bombard; as, to shell a town.
To shell out, to distribute freely; to bring
out or pay, as money. [Colloq.]
Shell, v. i. 1. To
fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.
2. To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to
fall out of the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in
falling.
3. To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as,
wheat or rye shells in reaping.
Shell (?), n. 1.
Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell;
specif.: (a) (Fireworks) A case or
cartridge containing a charge of explosive material, which bursts
after having been thrown high into the air. It is often elevated
through the agency of a larger firework in which it is
contained. (b) (Oil Wells) A
torpedo.
2. A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a
convex lens is ground to shape.
3. A gouge bit or shell bit.
