shell

shell
\ \ [OE] Shell goes back ultimately to the Germanic base *skal- ‘divide, separate’, which also produced English scale, scalp, school (of fish), shale, shelter, shield, shoal (of fish), skill, and skol. Its underlying meaning is hence a ‘covering that splits off or is peeled off’. Its immediate Germanic ancestor was *skaljō, which also produced Dutch schel and Norwegian skjæl. Shellac [18] is a compound of shell and laclacquer, varnish’ (a word of Sanskrit origin, of which lacquer is a derivative), and is a direct translation of French laque en écailleslac (melted) in thin plates’.
\ \ Cf.SCALE, SCALP, SCHOOL, SHALE, SHELTER, SHIELD, SHOAL, SKILL, SKOL

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shell — Shell, n. [OE. shelle, schelle, AS. scell, scyll; akin to D. shel, Icel. skel, Goth. skalja a tile, and E. skill. Cf. {Scale} of fishes, {Shale}, {Skill}.] 1. A hard outside covering, as of a fruit or an animal. Specifically: (a) The covering, or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shell — may refer to * Animal shell, or exoskeleton, including those of molluscs, turtles, insects and crustaceans * Seashell, the shells of various marine animals, especially marine mollusks * Eggshell, the outer covering of a hard shelled eggAny more… …   Wikipedia

  • shell — less, adj. shell like, adj. /shel/, n. 1. a hard outer covering of an animal, as the hard case of a mollusk, or either half of the case of a bivalve mollusk. 2. any of various objects resembling such a covering, as in shape or in being more or… …   Universalium

  • shell — [ʆel] verb shell out something phrasal verb [intransitive, transitive] informal to spend a lot of money on something, often when you do not really want to; =FORK OUT: shell out something for/​on • The insurance company refused to shell out for… …   Financial and business terms

  • shell — [shel] n. [ME schelle < OE sciel, akin to MDu schelle < IE base * (s)kel : see SHELF] 1. a hard outer covering, as of a turtle, mollusk, insect, egg, fruit, seed, etc. 2. something like or suggestive of a shell in being hollow, empty, or… …   English World dictionary

  • shell — ► NOUN 1) the hard protective outer case of an animal such as a snail, shellfish, or turtle. 2) the outer covering of an egg, nut kernel, or seed. 3) an explosive artillery projectile or bomb. 4) a hollow metal or paper case used as a container… …   English terms dictionary

  • Shell — Shell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Shelling}.] 1. To strip or break off the shell of; to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; as, to shell nuts or pease; to shell oysters. [1913 Webster] 2. To separate the kernels of (an ear of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Shell — Shell, v. i. 1. To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in falling. [1913 Webster] 3. To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as, wheat or rye… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shell|y — «SHEHL ee», adjective, shell|i|er, shell|i|est. 1. abounding in shells. 2. consisting of a shell or shells. 3. shell like …   Useful english dictionary

  • Shell — У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Шелл. Shell: Shell  интерпретатор команд операционной системы. Royal Dutch Shell  британско нидерландская компания …   Википедия

  • Shell — [ʃɛl] die; , s <aus gleichbed. engl. shell, eigtl. »Schale, Hülle«>: 1. Benutzeroberfläche eines Betriebssystems (von Computern; EDV). 2. ↑Expertensystem, das noch nicht od. nicht mehr mit Fakten od. Regeln eines bestimmten Gebiets gefüllt… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”