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lamp shell

Syllabification: (lamp shell)
Definition of lamp shell

noun

  • a marine invertebrate that superficially resembles a bivalve mollusk but has two or more arms of ciliated tentacles (lophophores) that are extended for filter feeding. Lamp shells are common as fossils. Also called brachiopod.
    • Phylum Brachiopoda: numerous groups in the Paleozoic era but few surviving to the present day

Origin:

mid 19th century: from its resemblance to an ancient oil lamp

lamp shell in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lamp shell in the British & World English dictionary
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