clam
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clam¹
- /klæm/ US, UK
- [kleəm] ~ [klɛəm]
- /klam/ British, Northern England, Scotland
- /klæːm/ Australia
- [kleːm] ~ [klɛːm]
- /klɛm/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æm
Where it comes from
From Middle English clam (“pincers, vice, clamp”), from Old English clam (“bond, fetter, grip, grasp”), from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan (“press, squeeze together”). The sense “dollar” may allude to wampum. The sense "Scientologist" alludes to the Scientologist belief that human thetans (souls) previously inhabited clams.
noun clams
- A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria), hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), sea clams or hen clams (Spisula solidissima), and other species, possibly originally applied to clams of species Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve. My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay
- A type of strong pincers or forceps.
- A kind of vise, usually of wood.
- A dollar. Those sneakers cost me fifty clams!
- A Scientologist. So the clams have John Travolta, Tom Cruise, et al in their hot li'l ol'P-R hands […]
- A vagina or vulva.
- A wrong or misplaced note. You had too many fucking days off, and you think this is a game? You think I'm the only one that's going to work up there while you motherfuckers sit out there and clam all over this fucking joint? What do you think this is anyhow? What kind of playing do you think this is? What kind of miscues do y
- One who clams up; a taciturn person, one who refuses to speak.
- mouth (Now found mostly in the expression shut one's clam) Why, he hasn't opened his clam since that morning in your room. I expected he would hold forth on every and all occasions.
verb clams · clamming · clammed
- To dig for clams.
clam²
- /klæm/ US, UK
- [kleəm] ~ [klɛəm]
- /klam/ British, Northern England, Scotland
- /klæːm/ Australia
- [kleːm] ~ [klɛːm]
- /klɛm/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æm
noun clams
- A crash or clangor made by ringing all the bells of a chime at once. By the bells standing too long in leading compass, the rest are thrown and jumbled together; whereby claps and clams so unpleasing to the hearers are occasion'd.
verb clams · clamming · clammed
- To produce, in bellringing, a clam or clangor; to cause to clang. When they [bells] lie fifths thus 1 5 2 6 3 7 4 8, 'tis then most pleasant and excellent music to clam them; that is, the two notes of each concord to strike together, and if they be clam'd true the eight bells will strike like four, but with far greater musick and harmony.
clam³
- /klæm/ US, UK
- [kleəm] ~ [klɛəm]
- /klam/ British, Northern England, Scotland
- /klæːm/ Australia
- [kleːm] ~ [klɛːm]
- /klɛm/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æm
Where it comes from
From Middle English clammen, clemen (“to smear, bedaub”), from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Cognate with German klamm (“clammy”). See also clammy (“damp, cold and sticky”) and clem (“to adhere, stick, plug (a hole)”).
adjective clammer · clammest · clem
- Clammy. Ice is said to be clam, when beginning to melt with the sun or otherwise, and not easy to be slid upon.
noun clem
- clamminess; moisture The clam of death.
verb clams · clamming · clammed · clem
- To be moist or glutinous; to stick; to adhere. A chilling sweat , a damp of jealousy, Hangs on my brows, and clams upon my limbs
- To clog, as with glutinous or viscous matter. A whole Swarm of Wasps got into a Hony-pot, and there they Cloy'd and Clam'd themselves till there was no getting Out again.
clam⁴
- /klæm/ US, UK
- [kleəm] ~ [klɛəm]
- /klam/ British, Northern England, Scotland
- /klæːm/ Australia
- [kleːm] ~ [klɛːm]
- /klɛm/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æm
noun clams
- Alternative form of CLAM
clam⁵
- /klæm/ US, UK
- [kleəm] ~ [klɛəm]
- /klam/ British, Northern England, Scotland
- /klæːm/ Australia
- [kleːm] ~ [klɛːm]
- /klɛm/ New Zealand
Rhymes with -æm
verb clams · clamming · clammed
- Alternative form of clem (“to starve”).
CLAM⁶
- /klæm/
- [kleəm]
Rhymes with -æm
noun CLAMs · clam · C.L.A.M.
- Acronym of Clip-on Load Adjusting Mechanism, a device that can be fitted onto an oar to adjust the set. The CLAM can be 'clipped on' by the rower with little difficulty, so the load can be changed between alternating headwind–tailwind pieces.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: buck, dollar bill, dollar, quahog, mussel, shellfish, littleneck, shell, coot, hull, chowder, ointment, soup, bakes, bake, mould
Translations
Every language
noun mollusc — see also mollusc, oyster, mussel
| Español | almeja, chirla, amayuela, chocha |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 조개 jogae |
| 日本語 | 蛤 hamaguri, ハマグリ hamaguri, 浅蜊 asari, アサリ asari |
| 中文 | 蚌 bàng, 蛤 gé, 蛤蜊 gélí, 蜆 /蚬 xiǎn, 文蛤 wéngé |
| Português | amêijoa |
| Français | palourde, praire |
| Deutsch | Muschel, Venusmuschel, Klaffmuschel |
| Italiano | vongola, tellina, arsella |
| Ελληνικά | αχιβάδα achiváda |
| Română | moluscă comestibilă |
| Русский | моллю́ск molljúsk, двуство́рчатый моллю́ск dvustvórčatyj molljúsk |
| Tiếng Việt | nghêu, sò |
| עברית | צֶדֶף tzédef, צִדְפָּה tzidpá |
Talk about this word "clam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/clam. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. clam. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/clam "clam." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/clam.Cite this
@misc{clam_2026,
title = {clam},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/clam},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
