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See also: she'll and Shell

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH-

Proto-Indo-European *skol-yeh₂

Proto-Germanic *skaljō

Proto-West Germanic *skallju

Old English sċiell

Middle English schelle

English shell

From Middle English schelle, from Old English sċel, sċell, sċiell, sċil, sċill, sċyl, sċyll, from Proto-West Germanic *skallju, from Proto-Germanic *skaljō (“shell; husk; rind; peel”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cut; to separate, split”).

Cognates

Cognate with Dutch schil (“bark, rind, skin; crust; shell; slice”), Danish skæl (“scale; dandruff”), Faroese and Icelandic skel (“shell”), Norwegian Bokmål skjell (“shell; scale”), Norwegian Nynorsk skjel (“shell; bivalve; scale; carapace”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰 (skalja, “brick, tile”), French écaille (“scale; shell”), Friulian scae (“scale”), Italian scaglia (“scale; flake, sliver; splinter”); also Breton killi (“grove”), Cornish kelli (“grove”), Irish coill (“forest, wood”), Manx keyll (“forest, wood; grove, plantation”), Scottish Gaelic coille (“forest”), Welsh celli (“grove”), Latin scalpō (“to scratch; to carve”), Ancient Greek σκᾰ́λλω (skắllō, “to hoe, stir up”), Albanian çel (“to open up; to sprout; to hatch up; to rise”), Lithuanian skelti (“to crack, split”), Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Russian скала́ (skalá, “cliff, rock”), Czech skála (“rock”), Polish skała, skáła, szkała (“rock”), Slovak and Slovene skala (“rock”), Ukrainian скала́ (skalá), ска́ля (skálja, “cliff, rock”), Armenian քաղել (kʻaġel, “to pick; to gather; to mow”), Sanskrit कॢप् (kḷp, “to order; to manage; to perform; to create; to cut”). More at shale. Doublet of sheal.

(computing): From being viewed as an outer layer of interface between the user and the operating-system internals.

Pronunciation

enPR: shĕl, (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ʃɛl/
- Audio (US): (file)
(Australia, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ʃel/
- (Australia, salary–celery merger) IPA^(key): /ʃæl/
- (New Zealand, salary–celery merger) IPA^(key): /ʃɛl/
Rhymes: -ɛl
Homophone: shall (salary–celery merger)

Noun

shell (plural shells)

A hard external covering of an animal.
1. The calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates.
  In some mollusks, as the cuttlefish, the shell is concealed by the animal's outer mantle and is considered internal.
  
  Genuine mother-of-pearl buttons are made from sea shells.
  - 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto X”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
    […] if with thee the roaring wells
    ⁠Should gulf him fathom-deep in brine;
    ⁠And hands so often clasp’d in mine,
    Should toss with tangle and with shells.
2. (by extension) Any mollusk having such a covering.
3. (entomology) The exoskeleton or wing covers of certain insects.
4. The conjoined scutes that constitute the "shell" (carapace) of a tortoise or turtle.
5. The overlapping hard plates comprising the armor covering the armadillo's body.
The hard calcareous covering of a bird egg.
One of the outer layers of skin of an onion.
The restaurant served caramelized onion shells.
(botany) The hard external covering of various plant seed forms.
1. The covering, or outside part, of a nut.
  The black walnut and the hickory nut, both of the same Genus as the pecan, have much thicker and harder shells than the pecan.
2. A pod containing the seeds of certain plants, such as the legume Phaseolus vulgaris.
3. (in the plural) Husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is sometimes used as a substitute or adulterant for cocoa and its products such as chocolate.
(geology) The accreted mineral formed around a hollow geode.
(weaponry) The casing of a self-contained single-unit artillery projectile.
(weaponry) A hollow, usually spherical or cylindrical projectile fired from a siege mortar or a smoothbore cannon. It contains an explosive substance designed to be ignited by a fuse or by percussion at the target site so that it will burst and scatter at high velocity its contents and fragments. Formerly called a bomb.
(weaponry) The cartridge of a breechloading firearm; a load; a bullet; a round.
(architecture) Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in, as the shell of a house.
A garment, usually worn by women, such as a shirt, blouse, or top, with short sleeves or no sleeves, that often fastens in the rear.
A coarse or flimsy coffin; a thin interior coffin enclosed within a more substantial one.
- 1877, Burke O'Farrell, Proud as Lucifer: A Novel:
  Upstairs in that chill darkened room which nobody passes who can help it , the old Baronet lies in his coffin shell - an awful form faintly defined beneath the sheet
An unmarked vehicle for carrying corpses from a crime scene.
- 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 23:
  Then they lifted the body into the bag, setting it down like something breakable, zipped the bag, wrapped the whole thing in polythene and carried the stretcher into the shell.
(music) A string instrument, as a lyre, whose acoustical chamber is formed like a shell.
The first lyre may have been made by drawing strings over the underside of a tortoise shell.
- 1687, John Dryden, A Song for Cecilia's Day:
  when Jubal struck the chorded shell
(music) The body of a drum; the often wooden, often cylindrical acoustic chamber, with or without rims added for tuning and for attaching the drum head.
An engraved copper roller used in print works.
The thin coating of copper on an electrotype.
(nautical) The watertight outer covering of the hull of a vessel, often made with planking or metal plating.
(nautical, rigging) The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.
(nautical) A light boat whose frame is covered with thin wood, impermeable fabric, or water-proofed paper; a racing shell or dragon boat.
(chemistry) A set of atomic orbitals that have the same principal quantum number.
(figuratively) The outward form independent of what is inside.
(figuratively) The empty outward form of someone or something.
The setback left him a mere shell; he was never the same again.
- 1953 April, “Notes and News: Locomotive Notes”, in Railway Magazine, page 283:
  Mr. Thomas adds that, by the time it was scrapped, Kingsley was in very bad condition, little more than a shell in fact. In view of the rough usage to which the engine had been subjected, this is not surprising.
An emaciated person.
He's lost so much weight from illness; he's a shell of his former self.
(figuratively) A person otherwise diminished.
Since coming back from Vietnam, he's been a shell of his former self.
A psychological barrier to social interaction.
Even after months of therapy he's still in his shell.
(computing) An operating system software user interface, whose primary purpose is to launch other programs and control their interactions; the user's command interpreter. Shell is a way to separate the internal complexity of the implementation of the command from the user. The internals can change while the user experience/interface remains the same.
The name "Bash" is an acronym which stands for "Bourne-again shell", itself a pun on the name of the "Bourne shell", an earlier Unix shell designed by Stephen Bourne, and the Christian concept of being "born again".
(business) A legal entity that has no operations.
A shell corporation was formed to acquire the old factory.
A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.
(engineering) A gouge bit or shell bit.
(phonology) The onset and coda of a syllable.
(UK, slang) A person's ear.
Synonym: shell-like

Can I have a quick word in your shell?
(UK, education) One or more school grades within secondary education, at certain public schools.
- 2013, “Chinese (Mandarin)”, in Westminster School‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 April 2026:
  Chinese (Mandarin) is taught at Westminster from the Lower Shell as an optional subject.
In formal debating, a set of proposed rules to be followed, with set penalties for violating them.
a theory shell

a topicality shell

Meronyms

(hard external covering): mantle; carene (obs.)

Derived terms

Translations

hard calcareous or chitinous external covering of many invertebrates

Albanian: guall (sq) f
Altai:
Southern Altai: кабырчак (kabïrčak), кабык (kabïk)
Arabic: صَدَفَة (ar) f (ṣadafa)
Egyptian Arabic: صدفة f (ṣadafa)

Hijazi Arabic: صدفة f (ṣadafa)
Armenian: խեցի (hy) (xecʻi), պատյան (hy) (patyan)
Asturian: cascu (ast) m
Azerbaijani: qabıq (az)
Bashkir: ҡабырсаҡ (qabïrsaq)
Basque: maskor
Belarusian: чарапа́шка f (čarapáška), ра́кавіна f (rákavina), па́нцыр m (páncyr) (of an arthropod or a turtle)
Bengali: খোল (bn) (khōl)
Bhojpuri: खपरोइया (khapᵊrōiyā), खोल (khōl)
Bulgarian: черу́пка (bg) f (čerúpka), ра́ковина (bg) f (rákovina)
Burmese: အခွံ (my) (a.hkwam)
Catalan: closca (ca) f, conquilla (ca) f, conxa f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 貝 / 贝 (zh) (bèi), 貝殼 / 贝壳 (zh) (bèiké)
Cornish: krogen f
Czech: ulita (cs) f (of molluscs), krunýř (cs) m (of crustaceans), mušle (cs) f, lastura (cs) f
Danish: skal (da) c, muslingeskal
Dutch: schelp (nl) f
Esperanto: konko
Estonian: koor (et), karp (et) (of a mollusc), koda (of a mollusc), kilp (of an arthropod or a turtle)
Faroese: skel f
Finnish: kuori (fi), kilpi (fi), panssari (fi) (from thinnest to thickest)
French: coquille (fr) f, coquillage (fr) m
Galician: cuncha (gl) f
Georgian: ნიჟარა (nižara)
German: Schale (de) f
Greek: όστρακο (el) n (óstrako)
Ancient Greek: κόχλος m (kókhlos)
Hawaiian: pūpū, pū, ʻolē
Hebrew: קוֹנְכִיָּה (he) f (qonchiá)
Hindi: खोल (hi) f (khol), शैल (hi) m (śail), कौड़ी f (kauṛī)
Hungarian: kagyló (hu), ház (hu)
Icelandic: skel (is) f
Indonesian: kerang (id)
Ingrian: maonkotain
Irish: sliogán (ga) m
Italian: conchiglia (it) f
Japanese: 殻 (ja) (から, kara), 貝殻 (ja) (かいがら, kaigara)
Kabuverdianu: kónxa
Kazakh: бақалшық (baqalšıq), қабыршақ (qabıršaq), қабық (qabıq)
Khmer: ខ្យង (km) (khyɑɑng)
Korean: 조가비 (ko) (jogabi), 조개 (ko) (jogae)
Kyrgyz: раковина (ky) (rakovina), кабык (ky) (kabık)
Lao: ກະດອງ (ka dǭng), ກາບຫອຍທະເລ (kāp hǭi tha lē)
Latvian: čaula f
Lithuanian: kriauklė f
Luxembourgish: Schuel f
Macedonian: черупка f (čerupka), школка f (školka)
Malay: cangkerang (ms), cengkerang (of a mollusc), kulit (ms) (of crustaceans)
Malayalam: തോട് (ml) (tōṭŭ)
Manx: bleayst f
Māori: anga, kota
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: дун (mn) (dun)
Navajo: atsʼaʼ
Norman: êcale f
Norwegian:
Bokmål: skjell m or f
Occitan: clòsca (oc) f
Old English: sċiell f
Pashto: صدف (ps) m (sadáf)
Persian: صدف (fa) (sadaf), شنج (fa) (šonj)
Polish: skorupa (pl) f
Portuguese: concha (pt) f
Quechua: mayt'una
Romanian: scoică (ro) f, cochilie (ro) f
Russian: ра́ковина (ru) f (rákovina) (of a mollusc), раку́шка (ru) f (rakúška), ра́кушка (ru) f (rákuška), па́нцирь (ru) m (páncirʹ) (of an arthropod or a turtle)
Sami:
Northern Sami: skálžu
Scottish Gaelic: cochall m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: шко̑љка f

Latin: škȏljka (sh) f
Slovak: ulita f, pancier m (of an arthropod or a turtle), lastúra f
Slovene: školjka (sl) f (of a mollusc), oklep (sl) m (of an arthropod, turtle)
Spanish: concha (es) f, caparazón (es) m or f, carapacho (es) m
Subanen:
Lapuyan Subanun: susu'
Swedish: skal (sv) n
Tajik: садаф (sadaf)
Tamil: ஓடு (ta) (ōṭu)
Tarifit: ajɣur m
Tatar: кабырчык (tt) (qabırçıq)
Thai: กระดอง (th) (grà-dɔɔng), เปลือก (th) (bplʉ̀ʉak), เปลือกหอย (bplʉ̀ʉak-hɔ̌i) (seashell)
Tocharian B: naitwe, wrāko
Turkish: kabuk (tr)
Ottoman Turkish: بالق قولاغی (balık kulağı) (of a mussel)
Turkmen: gabyk
Ukrainian: черепа́шка f (čerepáška), ско́йка f (skójka), му́шля f (múšlja); па́нцер m (páncer), па́нцир m (páncyr) (of an arthropod or a turtle)
Urdu: شیل m (śail)
Uyghur: چىغىناق (chighinaq)
Uzbek: chigʻanoq (uz)
Vietnamese: vỏ (vi)
Welsh: cragen (cy) f
Yámana: lakaš

hard covering of an egg

Altai:
Southern Altai: кабык (kabïk)
Arabic: قِشْر (ar) (qišr), قِشْرَة f (qišra)
Armenian: կճեպ (hy) (kčep)
Asturian: cascu (ast) m
Basque: oskol
Belarusian: шкарлупі́на f (škarlupína), лушпі́на f (lušpína), шалупа́йка f (šalupájka), шкару́па f (škarúpa)
Bulgarian: черу́пка (bg) f (čerúpka)
Catalan: closca (ca) f, clovella (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 蛋殼 / 蛋壳 (zh) (dànké, dànke), 殼 / 壳 (zh) (ké)
Cornish: plisken f
Czech: skořápka (cs) f
Danish: æggeskal (da) c
Dutch: schaal (nl) f, eierschaal (nl) f
Egyptian:

039

(jnr m)
Esperanto: ŝelo
Estonian: munakoor (et)
Finnish: munankuori (fi), kuori (fi)
French: coquille (fr) f
Galician: casca (gl) f
Georgian: ნაჭუჭი (nač̣uč̣i)
German: Schale (de) f, Eierschale (de) f
Greek: κέλυφος (el) n (kélyfos)
Ancient Greek: κέλυφος n (kéluphos)
Hebrew: קליפה (he) f (klipá)
Hindi: खोल (hi) m (khol), खोखा (hi) m (khokhā)
Hungarian: héj (hu), tojáshéj (hu)
Indonesian: cangkang (id)
Italian: guscio (it) m
Japanese: 殻 (ja) (から, kara), (biology) 卵殻 (ja) (らんかく, rankaku)
Khmer: សំបក (km) (sɑmbɑɑk), កណាណូ (kɑɑnaanou)
Korean: 껍질 (ko) (kkeopjil), 난각(卵殼) (nan'gak), 란각(卵殼) (ran'gak) (North Korea)
Ladino: kashkara
Latin: putāmen n
Luxembourgish: Schuel f
Macedonian: черупка f (čerupka)
Malay: kulit (ms) (general esp. in cooking); cangkerang (ms), cengkerang (in science)
Malayalam: തോട് (ml) (tōṭŭ)
Manx: bleayst f
Māori: pāpapa
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Norman: cruque f
Norwegian:
Bokmål: eggeskall n, skall (no) n
Persian: پوسته (fa) (puste)
Polish: skorupka (pl) f
Portuguese: casca (pt) f
Romanian: coajă (ro) f
Russian: скорлупа́ (ru) f (skorlupá)
Serbo-Croatian: ljuska (sh) f
Slovak: škrupina f
Slovene: lupina f
Somali: qolof (so)
Spanish: cáscara (es) f
Swedish: äggskal (sv) n, skal (sv) n
Thai: เปลือก (th) (bplʉ̀ʉak)
Turkish: kabuk (tr)
Ukrainian: шкаралу́па f (škaralúpa), шкаралу́пина f (škaralúpyna), лушпи́на f (lušpýna), лушпа́йка f (lušpájka)
Vietnamese: vỏ (vi), vỏ trứng
Welsh: (South) masgl f, (North) plisg m pl

entomology: exoskeleton of certain insects

Belarusian: па́нцыр m (páncyr)
Catalan: closca (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 介殼 / 介壳 (zh) (jièqiào), 甲壳 (zh) (jièqiào, jièké)
Czech: krovka (cs) f, krovky f pl
Esperanto: ŝelo, karapaco
Finnish: kuori (fi)
French: carapace (fr) f
Hindi: खोखा (hi) m (khokhā)
Hungarian: váz (hu)
Indonesian: sayap keras
Italian: carapace (it) m, esoscheletro (it) m
Japanese: (entomology) 鞘翅 (ja) (しょうし, shōshi; さやばね, sayabane)
Malay: kulit (ms)
Manx: bleayst f
Māori: anga
Polish: pancerz (pl) m
Portuguese: carapaça (pt) f
Romanian: exoschelet (ro) n
Russian: па́нцирь (ru) m (páncirʹ)
Spanish: concha (es) f
Swedish: skal (sv) n
Turkish: kabuk (tr)
Ukrainian: па́нцир m (páncyr), па́нцер m (páncer)

covering of a nut

Arabic: قِشْر (ar) (qišr)
Aromanian: coaji f
Belarusian: шкарлу́піна f (škarlúpina)
Bulgarian: черу́пка (bg) f (čerúpka)
Catalan: clovella (ca) f
Cebuano: bagol (coconut endocarp)
Chamicuro: ijs̈hopa
Czech: skořápka (cs) f
Danish: skal (da) n
Dutch: schaal (nl) f, omhulsel (nl) n
Esperanto: ŝelo
Estonian: koor (et)
Fijian: qa (coconut endocarp)
Finnish: kuori (fi)
French: coque (fr) f
Galician: casca (gl) f
German: Schale (de) f
Greek: κέλυφος (el) n (kélyfos)
Ancient Greek: κέλυφος n (kéluphos)
Hawaiian: iwi (coconut endocarp)
Hebrew: קליפה (he) f (qlipá)
Hindi: खोल (hi) m (khol), छिलका (hi) m (chilkā)
Hungarian: héj (hu), dióhéj (hu)
Indonesian: kulit (id)
Italian: guscio (it) m, mallo (it) m
Japanese: 殻 (ja) (から, kara)
Korean: 껍질 (ko) (kkeopjil)
Latin: putāmen n
Malay: batok, tempurung (ms) (coconut endocarp); kulit (ms) (of other nuts)
Malayalam: തോട് (ml) (tōṭŭ)
Manx: bleayst f
Māori: anga
Norman: êcale f
Persian: پوسته (fa) (puste)
Plautdietsch: Schluw f
Polish: łupina (pl) f
Portuguese: casca (pt) f
Rarotongan: anga, ipu, katu (coconut endocarp)
Romanian: coajă (ro) f
Russian: скорлупа́ (ru) f (skorlupá)
Samoan: ipu (coconut endocarp)
Scottish Gaelic: cochall m
Slovene: luščina f
Spanish: cáscara (es) f
Swedish: skal (sv) n
Tagalog: bao (coconut endocarp)
Tahitian: ʻapu (coconut endocarp)
Thai: เปลือก (th) (bplʉ̀ʉak)
Tongan: ngaʻasi, ngeʻesi (coconut endocarp)
Turkish: kabuk (tr)
Ukrainian: шкаралу́па f (škaralúpa), шкаралу́пина f (škaralúpyna), лушпа́йка f (lušpájka), лушпи́на f (lušpýna)
Welsh: (South) masgl f, (North) plisg m pl

pod

Armenian: պատյան (hy) (patyan)
Bulgarian: шушу́лка (bg) f (šušúlka)
Czech: lusk (cs) m
Danish: bælg c
Estonian: kaun
Finnish: palko (fi)
French: cosse (fr) f
Greek: κάψα (el) f (kápsa)
Italian: baccello (it) m
Japanese: 莢 (ja) (さや, saya)
Manx: bleayst f
Plautdietsch: Schluw f
Polish: strąk (pl) m, strączek (pl) m
Portuguese: vagem (pt) f
Russian: боб (ru) m (bob), стручо́к (ru) m (stručók)
Scottish Gaelic: cochall m
Slovene: strok m
Spanish: vaina (es) f
Swedish: balja (sv) c, skida (sv) c
Welsh: coden f

husks of cacao seeds

Catalan: clovella (ca) f
Czech: slupka (cs) f
Danish: skal (da) c
Finnish: kuoret (fi) pl
Italian: mallo (it)
Japanese: 殻 (ja) (から, kara), (for a rice seed) 籾 (ja) (もみ, momi), 籾殻 (ja) (もみがら, momigara)
Malayalam: തൊണ്ട് (ml) (toṇṭŭ)
Manx: bleayst f
Polish: plewa (pl) f
Scottish Gaelic: cochall m
Swedish: skal (sv) n

conjoined scutes that comprise the "shell" of a tortoise or turtle

Arabic: صَدَفة (ar) f (ṣadafa), بَيْت (ar) m (bayt)
Armenian: պատյան (hy) (patyan)
Asturian: cascu (ast) m
Basque: please add this translation if you can
Belarusian: па́нцыр m (páncyr)
Bulgarian: бро́ня (bg) f (brónja)
Catalan: closca (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 甲殼 / 甲壳 (zh) (jiǎké, jiǎqiào), 甲 (zh) (jiǎ)
Czech: krunýř (cs) m
Danish: skjold n
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: kilpi (fi)
French: carapace (fr) f
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
Hawaiian: una
Hebrew: שִׁרְיוֹן (he) m (shiryón)
Hindi: खोल (hi) m (khol)
Hungarian: teknő (hu)
Indonesian: tempurung (id)
Italian: carapace (it) m
Japanese: 甲羅 (ja) (こうら, kōra), 甲 (ja) (こう, kō)
Khmer: ស្នូក (km) (snouk), ស្នូកអណ្ដើក (snook ɑndaǝk)
Korean: 갑각(甲殼) (gapgak), 갑(甲) (ko) (gap)
Lao: ກະດອງ (ka dǭng)
Malay: sisik (ms), cengkerang
Malayalam: തോട് (ml) (tōṭŭ)
Mari:
Eastern Mari: щиток (ŝitok)
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Persian: لاک (fa) (lâk)
Polish: skorupa (pl) f
Portuguese: carapaça (pt) f, casco (pt) m
Romanian: carapace (ro) f
Russian: па́нцирь (ru) m (páncirʹ)
Samoan: una
Slovene: oklep (sl) m
Spanish: caparazón (es) m
Swedish: skal (sv) n
Thai: กระดอง (th) (grà-dɔɔng)
Tongan: ʻuno
Ukrainian: па́нцер m (páncer), па́нцир m (páncyr)
Vietnamese: mai (vi), mu (vi)

overlapping hard plates comprising the armor covering armadillo's body

Chinese:
Mandarin: 甲殼 / 甲壳 (zh) (jiǎké, jiǎqiào), 甲 (zh) (jiǎ)
Czech: krunýř (cs) m
Danish: skal (da) c
Finnish: panssari (fi)
French: carapace (fr) f
Greek: κέλυφος (el) n (kélyfos)
Hungarian: páncél (hu)
Indonesian: sisik (id)
Italian: placca (it) f, placca ossea f
Japanese: 甲羅 (ja) (こうら, kōra), 甲 (ja) (こう, kō)
Korean: 갑각(甲殼) (gapgak), 갑(甲) (ko) (gap)
Portuguese: carapaça (pt) f
Russian: па́нцирь (ru) m (páncirʹ)
Swedish: skal (sv) n, fjäll (sv) n

accreted mineral formed around a hollow geode

Bulgarian: дру́за f (drúza)
Finnish: kuori (fi)
Italian: geode m or f, drusa f

casing of an artillery projectile

Arabic: ظَرْف m (ẓarf)
Belarusian: гі́льза f (hílʹza)
Bulgarian: ги́лза (bg) f (gílza)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 彈殼 / 弹壳 (zh) (dànké)
Czech: nábojnice f
Danish: granathylster n
Estonian: kest
Finnish: hylsy (fi)
French: douille (fr) f
German: Hülse (de) f
Greek: κάλυκας (el) m (kálykas)
Hindi: खोखा (hi) m (khokhā)
Hungarian: töltényhüvely (hu), hüvely (hu), gránáthüvely (hu)
Indonesian: selongsong (id)
Irish: sliogán (ga) m
Italian: bossolo (it) m
Japanese: 薬莢 (ja) (やっきょう, yakkyō)
Korean: 약협(藥莢) (yakhyeop)
Persian: پوکه (fa) (puke)
Polish: łuska (pl) f
Portuguese: cartucho (pt) m
Russian: ги́льза (ru) f (gílʹza)
Spanish: casquete (es) m
Swedish: granat (sv) c, granathylsa c, hylsa (sv) c
Turkish: kovan (tr)
Ukrainian: гі́льза f (hílʹza)

hollow usually spherical or cylindrical projectile fired from a mortar or a cannon

Albanian: please add this translation if you can
Armenian: արկ (hy) (ark)
Azerbaijani: mərmi (az)
Belarusian: знара́д m (znarád)
Bulgarian: снаря́д (bg) m (snarjád)
Catalan: obús m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 砲彈 / 炮弹 (zh) (pàodàn)
Czech: šrapnel m
Danish: granat (da) c
Dutch: obus (nl) m
Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
Estonian: granaat
Finnish: kranaatti (fi)
French: obus (fr) m
Georgian: ჭურვი (č̣urvi)
German: Granate (de) f
Greek: οβίδα (el) f (ovída)
Hindi: खोखा (hi) m (khokhā)
Hungarian: gránát (hu), lövedék (hu)
Indonesian: selongsong (id)
Irish: sliogán (ga) m
Italian: granata (it) f, ogiva (it) f
Japanese: 砲弾 (ja) (ほうだん, hōdan)
Korean: 포탄(砲彈) (ko) (potan)
Latvian: please add this translation if you can
Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
Māori: matā
Polish: pocisk (pl) m
Portuguese: granada (pt) f, obus (pt) m
Romanian: obuz (ro) n
Russian: снаря́д (ru) m (snarjád)
Swedish: granat (sv) c
Turkish: please add this translation if you can
Ukrainian: снаря́д m (snarjád)

cartridge of a breechloading firearm

Belarusian: патро́н m (patrón)
Czech: patrona (cs) f
Danish: patron (da) c
Finnish: ammus (fi)
Greek: φυσίγγιο (el) n (fysíngio)
Indonesian: selongsong (id)
Ingrian: patrona
Japanese: 薬莢 (ja) (やっきょう, yakkyō)
Korean: 약협(藥莢) (yakhyeop)
Portuguese: cartucho (pt) m
Russian: патро́н (ru) m (patrón)
Tarifit: rburqi m
Ukrainian: патро́н (uk) m (patrón)

any hollow structure; framework, or exterior structure

Catalan: buc (ca) m
Czech: kostra (cs) f
Danish: skal (da) c
Dutch: ruwbouw (nl) m
Finnish: kuori (fi)
French: carcasse (fr) f (of a building)
German: Hülle (de) f
Hungarian: váz (hu), vázszerkezet (hu)
Japanese: 空洞 (ja) (くうどう, kūdō)
Portuguese: exterior (pt) m
Romanian: carcasă (ro) f
Russian: о́стов (ru) m (óstov), карка́с (ru) m (karkás)
Spanish: carcasa (es) f, carrocería (es) f
Swedish: skal (sv) n

garment with short or no sleeves that often fastens in the rear

Italian: blusa (it) f, camicetta f, top (it) m

coarse or flimsy coffin

music: string instrument, whose acoustical chamber is formed like a shell

Dutch: lier (nl) f
Japanese: 胴 (ja) (どう, dō)

music: body of a drum

Czech: rezonátor m
Finnish: runko (fi)
Greek: τύμπανο (el) n (týmpano)
Japanese: 胴 (ja) (どう, dō)

engraved copper roller used in print works

Czech: hlubotiskový ? válec (cs) m
Swedish: plåt (sv) c

nautical: outer covering of the hull

Bulgarian: обши́вка (bg) f (obšívka)
Czech: opláštění (cs) n
Finnish: laidoitus (fi)
French: coque (fr) f
Japanese: 胴 (ja) (どう, dō), 船体 (ja) (せんたい, sentai)
Russian: обши́вка (ru) f (obšívka)

nautical, rigging: outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve

Finnish: pesä (fi)
Japanese: 胴 (ja) (どう, dō)

nautical: light boat the frame of which is covered with thin material

computing: general-purpose environment

Arabic: قِشْرَة f (qišra)
Belarusian: абало́нка (be) f (abalónka)
Bengali: শেল (bn) (śel)
Catalan: consola (ca) f, terminal (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 殼層 / 壳层 (kécéng)
Danish: skal (da) c
Dutch: gebruikersomgeving f, shell (nl) m
Esperanto: ŝelo
Finnish: komentotulkki (fi), komentorivi (fi) (command-line interface); käyttöliittymä (fi) (graphical interface)
French: interface système f
German: Shell f
Greek: κέλυφος (el) n (kélyfos)
Hungarian: keretprogram (hu)
Japanese: シェル (ja) (sheru)
Korean: 셸 (syel)
Polish: powłoka (pl) f
Portuguese: terminal (pt) m, console (pt) m
Russian: оболо́чка (ru) f (obolóčka)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: љу̏ска f

Latin: ljȕska (sh) f
Spanish: terminal (es) m
Swedish: skal (sv) n, skalprogram n, shell (sv) c, kommandotolk (sv) c, tolk (sv) c
Thai: เชลล์
Ukrainian: оболо́нка (uk) f (obolónka)

chemistry: set of atomic orbitals that have the same principal quantum number

Bulgarian: обви́вка (bg) f (obvívka)
Czech: slupka (cs) f
Danish: skal (da) c
Dutch: schil (nl) m or f
Finnish: kuori (fi)
French: couche (fr) f
German: Hülle (de) f
Hungarian: héj (hu), elektronhéj (hu)
Japanese: 殻 (ja) (かく, kaku)
Malay: petala
Polish: powłoka walencyjna f
Russian: оболо́чка (ru) f (obolóčka)
Swedish: skal (sv) n
Tagalog: balok, mulpikning balok

emaciated person

Czech: kostra (cs) f, stín (cs) m
Finnish: varjo (fi)
French: squelette (fr) m
Galician: esqueleto (gl)
Russian: оболо́чка (ru) f (obolóčka)

psychological barrier to social interaction

Arabic: قَوْقَعة f (qawqaʕa)
Czech: slupka (cs) f, skořápka (cs) f
Dutch: schulp (nl) f
Finnish: kuori (fi)
French: coquille (fr) f
Hungarian: gubó (hu), vacok (hu)
Japanese: 殻 (ja) (から, kara)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: skall (no) n
Swedish: skal (sv) n

business: legal entity that has no operations

Czech: skořápka (cs) f
Finnish: kuori (fi), kuoriyhtiö
Polish: spółka wydmuszka f
Swedish: skal (sv) n, skalbolag (sv) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "hard outside covering, as of a fruit or an animal"

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} schil (nl) f, ^{(please verify)} schaal (nl) f, ^{(please verify)} huls (nl) f or m, ^{(please verify)} omhulsel (nl) n
Estonian: ^{(please verify)} koor (et), ^{(please verify)} karp (et) (of a mollusc), ^{(please verify)} koda (of a mollusc), ^{(please verify)} kilp (of an arthropod or a turtle)
German: ^{(please verify)} Schale (de) f
Irish: ^{(please verify)} sceall m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Mongolian: ^{(please verify)} хальс (mn) (xalʹs)
Tocharian B: ^{(please verify)} naitwe ?
Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} tal-lang

Verb

shell (third-person singular simple present shells, present participle shelling, simple past and past participle shelled)

To remove the outer covering or shell of something.
To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery.
The guns shelled the enemy trenches.
- 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 203:
  There wasn’t even a shed there, and she was shelling the bush.
(informal) To disburse or give up money, to pay. (Often used with out).
(intransitive) To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.
(intransitive) To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk.
Nuts shell in falling.

Wheat or rye shells in reaping.
(computing, intransitive) To switch to a shell or command line.
- 1993, Robin Nixon, The PC Companion, page 115:
  Automenu is a good program to try, and offers a fair amount of protection - but, unfortunately, it's one of those systems that allow users to shell to DOS.
To form shallow, irregular cracks (in a coating).
(topology) To form a shelling.
(cricket, slang, transitive) To drop (the ball).
- 2022, Nicholas Brookes, An Island's Eleven: The Story of Sri Lankan Cricket:
  He shelled it, and dislocated his finger in the process.

Derived terms

Translations

to remove the outer covering or shell of something

Bulgarian: обе́лвам (bg) impf (obélvam)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 剝 / 剥 (mok¹)

Mandarin: 剝 / 剥 (zh) (bāo, bō), 去殼 / 去壳 (zh) (qùké)
Dutch: (fruit) schillen (nl), (nut) kraken (nl), (fruit or crustacean) pellen (nl), (pea) doppen (nl)
Finnish: kuoria (fi)
French: décortiquer (fr), écosser (fr)
Galician: cascar, descascar, debullar (gl), debagar, degraer, degrañar (gl)
Italian: sgranare (it), sgusciare (it)
Japanese: 剥く (ja) (むく, muku)
Māori: kōwhā, miri, kōhā, kōwhiti (of shellfish)
Portuguese: descascar (pt)
Quechua: hephq'ay
Spanish: descascarar (es) (nut), desvainar (es) (pea)
Swedish: skala (sv)

to bombard, to fire projectiles at — see bomb

informal: to disburse or give up money, to pay

Bulgarian: пла́щам (bg) impf (pláštam)
Finnish: törsätä (fi)
French: douiller (fr)
Galician: desembolsar
Italian: sborsare (it)
Japanese: 支払う (ja) (しはらう, shiharau)

to fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.

Bulgarian: ро́ня се (bg) impf (rónja se)
Finnish: kuoriutua (fi)

to cast the shell, or exterior covering

Finnish: kuoriutua (fi)
Swedish: ömsa (sv)

Anagrams

hells

Yola

Alternative forms

shall, shul

Etymology

From Middle English schal, from Old English sċeal.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʃɛl/, /ʃal/, /ʃʊl/

Verb

shell

shall
- 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 100:
  Craneen t' thee wee aam, thee luggès shell aake.
  Choking to thee with them. Thy ears shall ache.

References

Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 67

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=shell&oldid=93721947"

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Yola

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