Shell vs. Subshell

Shellnoun

A hard external covering of an animal.

Subshellnoun

Atomic orbitals for which the values of the n and l quantum numbers are the same, such as the three 2p or five 3d atomic orbitals.

Shellnoun

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.’;

Subshellnoun

(computing) A child process launched by a shell.

Shellnoun

(by extension) Any mollusk having such a covering.

Shellnoun

(entomology) The exoskeleton or wing covers of certain insects.

Shellnoun

The conjoined scutes that constitute the "shell" (carapace) of a tortoise or turtle.

Shellnoun

The overlapping hard plates comprising the armor covering the armadillo's body.

Shellnoun

The hard calcareous covering of a bird egg.

Shellnoun

One of the outer layers of skin of an onion.

‘The restaurant served caramelized onion shells.’;

Shellnoun

(botany) The hard external covering of various plant seed forms.

Shellnoun

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.’;

Shellnoun

A pod containing the seeds of certain plants, such as the legume Phaseolus vulgaris.

Shellnoun

(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.

Shellnoun

(geology) The accreted mineral formed around a hollow geode.

Shellnoun

(weaponry) The casing of a self-contained single-unit artillery projectile.

Shellnoun

(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 scattered at high velocity its contents and fragments. Formerly called a bomb.

Shellnoun

(weaponry) The cartridge of a breechloading firearm; a load; a bullet; a round.

Shellnoun

(architecture) Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in, as the shell of a house.

Shellnoun

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.

Shellnoun

A coarse or flimsy coffin; a thin interior coffin enclosed within a more substantial one.

Shellnoun

(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.’;

Shellnoun

(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.

Shellnoun

An engraved copper roller used in print works.

Shellnoun

(nautical) The watertight outer covering of the hull of a vessel, often made with planking or metal plating.

Shellnoun

The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.

Shellnoun

(nautical) A light boat whose frame is covered with thin wood, impermeable fabric, or water-proofed paper; a racing shell or dragon boat.

Shellnoun

(computing) An operating system software user interface, whose primary purpose is to launch other programs and control their interactions; the user's command interpreter.

‘The name shell originates from it being viewed as an outer layer of interface between the user and the internals of the operating system.’; ‘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".’;

Shellnoun

(chemistry) A set of atomic orbitals that have the same principal quantum number.

Shellnoun

An emaciated person.

‘He's lost so much weight from illness; he's a shell of his former self.’;

Shellnoun

A psychological barrier to social interaction.

‘Even after months of therapy he's still in his shell.’;

Shellnoun

(business) A legal entity that has no operations.

‘A shell corporation was formed to acquire the old factory.’;

Shellnoun

A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.

Shellnoun

(engineering) A gouge bit or shell bit.

Shellnoun

(phonology) The onset and coda of a syllable.

Shellverb

To remove the outer covering or shell of something. See sheller.

Shellverb

To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery.

Shellverb

(informal) To disburse or give up money, to pay. (Often used with out).

Shellverb

(intransitive) To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.

Shellverb

(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.’;

Shellverb

To switch to a shell or command line.

Shellverb

To form shallow, irregular cracks (in a coating).

Shellverb

(topology) To form a shelling.

Shellnoun

A hard outside covering, as of a fruit or an animal.

‘Think him as a serpent's egg, . . .And kill him in the shell.’;

Shellnoun

The hard calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates. In some mollusks, as the cuttlefishes, it is internal, or concealed by the mantle. Also, the hard covering of some vertebrates, as the armadillo, the tortoise, and the like.

Shellnoun

A hollow projectile, of various shapes, adapted for a mortar or a cannon, and containing an explosive substance, ignited with a fuse or by percussion, by means of which the projectile is burst and its fragments scattered. See Bomb.

Shellnoun

The case which holds the powder, or charge of powder and shot, used with breechloading small arms.

Shellnoun

Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior structure, regarded as not complete or filled in; as, the shell of a house.

Shellnoun

A coarse kind of coffin; also, a thin interior coffin inclosed in a more substantial one.

Shellnoun

An instrument of music, as a lyre, - the first lyre having been made, it is said, by drawing strings over a tortoise shell.

‘When Jubal struck the chorded shell.’;

Shellnoun

An engraved copper roller used in print works.

Shellnoun

The husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is often used as a substitute for chocolate, cocoa, etc.

Shellnoun

The outer frame or case of a block within which the sheaves revolve.

Shellnoun

A light boat the frame of which is covered with thin wood or with paper; as, a racing shell.

Shellnoun

Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell;

Shellnoun

A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.

Shellnoun

A gouge bit or shell bit.

Shellverb

To strip or break off the shell of; to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; as, to shell nuts or pease; to shell oysters.

Shellverb

To separate the kernels of (an ear of Indian corn, wheat, oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk.

Shellverb

To throw shells or bombs upon or into; to bombard; as, to shell a town.

Shellverb

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

Shellverb

To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in falling.

Shellverb

To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as, wheat or rye shells in reaping.

Shellnoun

ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun

Shellnoun

the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals

Shellnoun

hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles

Shellnoun

the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts

Shellnoun

the exterior covering of a bird's egg

Shellnoun

a rigid covering that envelops an object;

‘the satellite is covered with a smooth shell of ice’;

Shellnoun

a very light narrow racing boat

Shellnoun

the housing or outer covering of something;

‘the clock has a walnut case’;

Shellnoun

a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)

Shellnoun

the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc

Shellverb

use explosives on;

‘The enemy has been shelling us all day’;

Shellverb

fall out of the pod or husk;

‘The corn shelled’;

Shellverb

hit the pitches of hard and regularly;

‘He shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning’;

Shellverb

look for and collect shells by the seashore

Shellverb

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict;

‘Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship’; ‘We beat the competition’; ‘Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game’;

Shellverb

remove from its shell or outer covering;

‘shell the legumes’; ‘shell mussels’;

Shellverb

remove the husks from;

‘husk corn’;

Shellnoun

the hard protective outer case of a mollusc or crustacean

‘cowrie shells’; ‘the technique of carving shell’;

Shellnoun

the thin outer covering of an animal's egg, which is hard and fragile in that of a bird but leathery in that of a reptile.

Shellnoun

the outer case of a nut kernel or seed

‘peanuts roasted in their shells’;

Shellnoun

the carapace of a tortoise, turtle, or terrapin.

Shellnoun

the wing cases of a beetle.

Shellnoun

the integument of an insect pupa or chrysalis.

Shellnoun

used with reference to a state of shyness or introversion

‘she'll soon come out of her shell with the right encouragement’;

Shellnoun

an explosive artillery projectile or bomb

‘shell holes’; ‘the sound of the shell passing over, followed by the explosion’;

Shellnoun

a hollow metal or paper case used as a container for fireworks, explosives, or cartridges.

Shellnoun

a cartridge.

Shellnoun

something resembling or likened to a shell because of its shape or its function as an outer case

‘baked pastry shells filled with cheese’; ‘pasta shells’;

Shellnoun

the walls of an unfinished or gutted building or other structure

‘the hotel was a shell, the roof having collapsed completely’;

Shellnoun

an outer form without substance

‘he was a shell of the man he had been previously’;

Shellnoun

the metal framework of a vehicle body.

Shellnoun

a light racing boat.

Shellnoun

an inner or roughly made coffin.

Shellnoun

the hand guard of a sword.

Shellnoun

each of a set of orbitals around the nucleus of an atom, occupied or able to be occupied by electrons of similar energies

‘in a multi-electron atom, the lowest energy shells fill up first’; ‘an electron descending from one shell to a lower one emits an X-ray’;

Shellnoun

short for shell program

Shellverb

bombard with shells

‘several villages north of the security zone were shelled’;

Shellverb

score heavily against (an opposing pitcher or team)

‘Williams got shelled in the next inning’;

Shellverb

remove the shell or pod from (a nut or seed)

‘they were shelling peas’; ‘shelled Brazil nuts’;