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Webster 1913 Edition


Shell-less

Shell′-less

,
Adj.
Having no shell.
J. Burroughs.

Definition 2024


shell-less

shell-less

See also: shellless

English

Adjective

shell-less (comparative more shell-less, superlative most shell-less)

  1. Lacking a shell.
  2. Unprotected, vulnerable.

Usage notes

The suffix -less is not usually hyphenated. Gary Rosenberg has mentioned that shellless is "a word that I keep trying to slip into professional papers (I'm a malacologist by trade), but so far no editor has let it stand." The unhyphenated spelling, though suggested, is not currently found in any major dictionary.

Translations