BIVALVE

bivalve, bivalved

(adjective) used of mollusks having two shells (as clams etc.)

bivalve, pelecypod, lamellibranch

(noun) marine or freshwater mollusks having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

bivalve (plural bivalves)

Any mollusc belonging to the taxonomic class Bivalvia, characterized by a shell consisting of two hinged sections, such as a scallop, clam, mussel or oyster.

(botany) A pericarp in which the seed case opens or splits into two parts or valves.

Coordinate terms

• univalve

Source: Wiktionary

Bi"valve, n. Etym: [F. bivalve; bi- (L. bis) + valve valve.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A mollusk having a shell consisting of two lateral plates or valves joined together by an elastic ligament at the hinge, which is usually strengthened by prominences called teeth. The shell is closed by the contraction of two transverse muscles attached to the inner surface, as in the clam, -- or by one, as in the oyster. See Mollusca.

2. (Bot.)

Definition: A pericarp in which the seed case opens or splits into two parts or valves.

Bi"valve, a. Etym: [Pref. bi- + valve.] (Zoöl. & Bot.)

Definition: Having two shells or valves which open and shut, as the oyster and certain seed vessels.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition