: any of numerous marine bivalve lamellibranch mollusks (family Pectinidae) that have a radially ribbed shell with the edge undulated and that swim by opening and closing the valves
b
: the adductor muscle of a scallop as an article of food
2
a
: a valve or shell of a scallop
b
: a baking dish shaped like a valve of a scallop
3
: one of a continuous series of circle segments or angular projections forming a border (as on cloth or metal)
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Noun
Those who make the quick journey are rewarded by three miles of pristine shoreline covered with shells, including calico scallops, sand dollars, moon snail shells, and lightning whelks.—Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 24 July 2025 The Original served dishes like scallops, duck and roasted chicken.—Jordyn Noennig, jsonline.com, 17 July 2025
Verb
The Orkney scallops grilled in direct contact with whisky barrels were sublime.—George Koutsakis, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025 The Hokkaido scallop crudo with calamansi citrus and pops of smoky pyanggang sauce was exceptional, while the signature half-chicken with siu haau sauce and Janevca crisp is one of chef Alridge’s personal favorites.—Katie Nanton, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for scallop
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English scalop, from Anglo-French escalope shell, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch schelpe shell
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