Definition of bivalve Bivalve

/bajˈvæˌlv/ - [bayvatlv] - bi•valve

We found 9 definitions of bivalve from 6 different sources.

What does bivalve mean?

Noun Plural: bivalves
bivalve - marine or freshwater mollusks having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together
		pelecypod, lamellibranch
		mollusc, mollusk, shellfish invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell
		bivalvia, class bivalvia, class lamellibranchia, class pelecypoda, lamellibranchia oysters; clams; scallops; mussels
		clam burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness
		cockle common edible, burrowing European bivalve mollusk that has a strong, rounded shell with radiating ribs
		oyster marine mollusks having a rough irregular shell; found on the sea bed mostly in coastal waters
		ark shell marine bivalve mollusk having a heavy toothed shell with a deep boat-like inner surface
		blood clam red-blooded clam
		mussel marine or freshwater bivalve mollusk that lives attached to rocks etc.
		escallop, scollop, scallop edible marine bivalve having a fluted fan-shaped shell that swim by expelling water from the shell in a series of snapping motions
Adjective bivalve, bivalver, bivalvest
bivalve - used of mollusks having two shells (as clams etc.)
		bivalved
		univalve used of mollusks, especially gastropods, as snails etc.
		zoological science, zoology the branch of biology that studies animals

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bivalve (Noun)
Any mollusc belonging to the taxonomic class Bivalvia, characterized by a shell consisting of two hinged sections, such as a scallop, clam, mussel or oyster.

bivalve (n.)
A mollusk having a shell consisting of two lateral plates or valves joined together by an elastic ligament at the hinge, which is usually strengthened by prominences called teeth. The shell is closed by the contraction of two transverse muscles attached to the inner surface, as in the clam, -- or by one, as in the oyster. See Mollusca.
bivalve (n.)
A pericarp in which the seed case opens or splits into two parts or valves.
bivalve (a.)
Having two shells or valves which open and shut, as the oyster and certain seed vessels.

bivalve
bī′valv, n. an animal having a shell in two valves or parts, like the oyster: a seed-vessel of like kind.—adj. having two valves.—adj. Bivalv′ular. [L. bi-, twice, valva, a valve.]

Bivalves is a huge class of mollusks. They usually have a shell that is composed of two parts. Both parts are more or less symmetrical. There are over 30.000 species of bivalves. All of them live in the water, some of them in the seas, others in fresh water. All are filter feeders. Like the other shelled mollusks, the gastropods, bivalves produce a limy shell out of calcium.Bilvales are also known as clams or pelecypods.

The best known examples of bivalves are clams, mussels, scallops and oysters.