Meaning & use
bivalve
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebiology
A sea or freshwater animal with a soft body and a shell that has two parts joined by a hinge, such as a clam, oyster, or mussel.
Grammar: Countable: one bivalve, two bivalves.
Patterns
- a species of bivalve
- bivalves such as clams
Oysters and clams are common bivalves found along the coast.
The biologist studied how bivalves filter food from the water.
Bivalves have two shells that can open and close.
adjectivebefore a nounbiology
Having a shell made of two parts joined by a hinge.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'bivalve shell'.
Patterns
- bivalve shell
- bivalve mollusk
The bivalve shell was washed up on the beach.
A bivalve mollusk protects itself by closing its shell tightly.
Word forms
| plural | bivalves |
|---|
Common combinations
- bivalve mollusk
- The bivalve mollusk burrows into the sand.
- bivalve shell
- She collected a bivalve shell on the shore.
- marine bivalve
- Marine bivalves are important filter feeders.
- freshwater bivalve
- Freshwater bivalves can be found in rivers and lakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lamellibranch
- An older technical term for a bivalve mollusk, now less common.
- pelecypod
- Another technical synonym used in zoology.
Word family
- bivalved adjective
- Having two valves or shells.
Commonly confused: bivalve or univalve? bivalve or brachiopod?
bivalve vs univalve
A univalve has a single shell, like a snail; a bivalve has two shells.
bivalve vs brachiopod
Brachiopods also have two shells but are a different group of animals; bivalves are mollusks.
Practice
Which of these is a bivalve?
Choose one answer.
A clam has a two-part hinged shell, so it is a bivalve. A snail has a single shell (univalve); jellyfish and starfish have no shells.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bivalve”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.