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bivalve

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bi⋅valve

  [bahy-valv]
Use bivalve in a Sentence
–noun
1. Also called lamellibranch. Zoology. any mollusk, as the oyster, clam, scallop, or mussel, of the class Bivalvia, having two shells hinged together, a soft body, and lamellate gills.
–adjective
2. Botany. having two valves, as a seedcase.
3. Zoology. having two shells, usually united by a hinge.
4. having two similar parts hinged together.
Origin:
1670–80; bi- 1 + valve

Related forms:
bi⋅val⋅vu⋅lar  [bahy-val-vyuh-ler] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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bi·valve   (bī'vālv')   
n.  A mollusk, such as an oyster or a clam, that has a shell consisting of two hinged valves.
adj.  

  1. Having a shell consisting of two hinged valves.

  2. Consisting of two similar separable parts.

bi'valved' adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bivalve 
1677 (adj.) in ref. to shutters or doors; 1661 in ref. to shellfish; from bi- + valve. The noun is 1683 in the mollusk sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1bi·valve
Pronunciation: 'bI-"valv
Variant: also bi·valved /-"valvd/
Function: adjective
: having or consisting of two corresponding movable pieces suggesting the shells of mollusks bivalve speculum>

Main Entry: 2bivalve
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: bi·valved;bi·valv·ing
: to split (a cast) along one ortwo sides (as to renew surgical dressings or to restore circulation)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
bivalve   (bī'vālv')  Pronunciation Key 
Any of various mollusks of the class Bivalvia, having a shell consisting of two halves hinged together. Clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels are bivalves. The class Bivalvia is also called Pelecypoda, and was formerly called Lamellibranchia. Compare univalve.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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