Shell - Definition

n 1: ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing
containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from
a large gun
2: the material that forms the hard outer covering of many
animals
3: hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as
arthropods and turtles [syn: carapace, shell, cuticle,
shield]
4: the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits
especially nuts
5: the exterior covering of a bird's egg [syn: shell,
eggshell]
6: a rigid covering that envelops an object; "the satellite is
covered with a smooth shell of ice"
7: a very light narrow racing boat [syn: shell, racing
shell]
8: the housing or outer covering of something; "the clock has a
walnut case" [syn: shell, case, casing]
9: a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield
attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners) [syn:
plate, scale, shell]
10: the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a
brachiopod
v 1: use explosives on; "The enemy has been shelling us all day"
[syn: blast, shell]
2: create by using explosives; "blast a passage through the
mountain" [syn: blast, shell]
3: fall out of the pod or husk; "The corn shelled"
4: hit the pitches of hard and regularly; "He shelled the
pitcher for eight runs in the first inning"
5: look for and collect shells by the seashore
6: come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi
beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the
competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football
game" [syn: beat, beat out, crush, shell, trounce,
vanquish]
7: remove from its shell or outer covering; "shell the legumes";
"shell mussels"
8: remove the husks from; "husk corn" [syn: husk, shell]