: any of a class (Bivalvia synonym Pelecypoda) of typically marine mollusks (such as clams, oysters, or scallops) that have a 2-valved hinged shell, are usually filter feeders, and lack a distinct head
Examples of bivalve in a Sentence
Noun
clams, mussels, oysters, and other bivalves
Recent Examples on the Web
BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2019
Deep-sea wood borers (Xylophaga, a genus of bivalve mollusks) take over where shallow water gribbles and shipworms left off.
—Brian Payton, Smithsonian, 9 Feb. 2018
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
One such assessment, published Nature in 2021, found that seaweed and bivalves, like mussels and oysters, have the lowest environmental footprint of all aquaculture foods.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Adjective
The town’s big, bivalve-themed bash, Wellfleet Oyster Fest, happens annually on the weekend after Columbus Day (Oct. 19 and 20 this year) along Main Street.
—BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2019
Deep-sea wood borers (Xylophaga, a genus of bivalve mollusks) take over where shallow water gribbles and shipworms left off.
—Brian Payton, Smithsonian, 9 Feb. 2018
Noun
Native to rivers and creeks in China and Southeast Asia, the bivalves have appeared in waterways elsewhere in Asia as well as South American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
One such assessment, published Nature in 2021, found that seaweed and bivalves, like mussels and oysters, have the lowest environmental footprint of all aquaculture foods.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
See all Example Sentences for bivalve
Dictionary Entries Near bivalve
Cite this Entry
“Bivalve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bivalve. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bivalve
1 of 2 adjective
bi·valve
ˈbī-ˌvalv 
: having or being a shell composed of two movable valves
a bivalve mollusk
bivalve
2 of 2 noun
: any of a class of typically marine mollusks (as clams, oysters, and scallops) that have a shell made up of two parts joined by a hinge, are usually filter feeders, and lack a distinct head
Medical Definition
bivalve
2 of 2 transitive verb
bivalved; bivalving
: to split (a cast) along one or two sides (as to relieve pressure)
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