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mussel

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Joe's Crab Shack
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mus⋅sel

  [muhs-uhl]
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–noun
any bivalve mollusk, esp. an edible marine bivalve of the family Mytilidae and a freshwater clam of the family Unionidae.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME, OE muscle < VL *mūscula, var. of L mūsculus little mouse, sea mussel. See muscle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Joe's Crab Shack
Snow, Dungeness and King Crab Made the Way You Love it. Eat at Joe's.
www.JoesCrabShack.com
mus·sel   (mŭs'əl)   
n.  

  1. Any of several marine bivalve mollusks, especially the edible members of the family Mytilidae and in particular Mytilus edulis, a blue-black species raised commercially in Europe. Mussels are often found attached to rocky surfaces or the sides of ships.

  2. Any of several freshwater bivalve mollusks of the genera Anodonta and Unio, found in the central United States, that burrow in the sand or mud of lakes and streams.


[Alteration (possibly influenced by Dutch mossel) of Middle English muscle, from Old English muscelle, from Medieval Latin mūscula, from Latin mūsculus, sea mussel; see muscle.]
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

mussel 
O.E. muscle, musscel, from L.L. muscula (cf. O.Fr. musle, modern Fr. moule), from L. musculus "mussel," lit. "little mouse," also "muscle;" like muscle, derived from mus "mouse" on the perceived similarity of size and shape. The modern spelling, distinguishing the word from muscle, first recorded 1610, not fully established until 1870s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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