1. [n]  hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
2. [n]  the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc
3. [n]  a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)
4. [n]  ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
5. [n]  the housing or outer covering of something; "the clock has a walnut case"
6. [n]  a very light narrow racing boat
7. [n]  a rigid covering that envelops an object; "the satellite is covered with a smooth shell of ice"
8. [n]  the exterior covering of a bird's egg
9. [n]  the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts
10. [n]  the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals
11. [adj]  having a shell or containing shell; "shell marl"
12. [v]  remove the husks from, as of ears of corn
13. [v]  remove from its shell or outer covering; "shell the legumes"
14. [v]  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"
15. [v]  use explosives on; "The enemy has been shelling us all day"
16. [v]  look for and collect shells by the seashore
17. [v]  hit the pitches of hard and regularly; "He shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning"
18. [v]  fall out of the pod or husk; "The corn shelled"

Shell
Photographs and text examine different types of shells, including seashells, eggshells, and fossil shells, focusing on such aspects as how shells camouflage themselves and how they may be collected.

more details ...

1. \Shell\, n.
   1. Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell;
      specif.:
      (a) (Fireworks) A case or cartridge containing a charge of
          explosive material, which bursts after having been
          thrown high into the air. It is often elevated through
          the agency of a larger firework in which it is
          contained.
      (b) (Oil Wells) A torpedo.
   2. A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is
      ground to shape.
   3. A gouge bit or shell bit.
   

2. \Shell\, n. [OE. shelle, schelle, AS. scell, scyll; akin
   to D. shel, Icel. skel, Goth. skalja a tile, and E. skill.
   Cf. {Scale} of fishes, {Shale}, {Skill}.]
   1. A hard outside covering, as of a fruit or an animal.
      Specifically:
      (a) The covering, or outside part, of a nut; as, a
          hazelnut shell.
      (b) A pod.
      (c) The hard covering of an egg.
                Think him as a serpent's egg, . . . And kill him
                in the shell.                     --Shak.
      (d) (Zo["o]l.) 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.
      (e) (Zo["o]l.) Hence, by extension, any mollusks having
          such a covering.
   2. (Mil.) 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}.
   3. The case which holds the powder, or charge of powder and
      shot, used with breechloading small arms.
   4. Any slight hollow structure; a framework, or exterior
      structure, regarded as not complete or filled in; as, the
      shell of a house.
   5. A coarse kind of coffin; also, a thin interior coffin
      inclosed in a more substantial one. --Knight.
   6. 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.  --Dryden.
   7. An engraved copper roller used in print works.
   8. pl. The husks of cacao seeds, a decoction of which is
      often used as a substitute for chocolate, cocoa, etc.
   9. (Naut.) The outer frame or case of a block within which
      the sheaves revolve.
   10. A light boat the frame of which is covered with thin wood
       or with paper; as, a racing shell.
   {Message shell}, a bombshell inside of which papers may be
      put, in order to convey messages.
   {Shell bit}, a tool shaped like a gouge, used with a brace in
      boring wood. See {Bit}, n., 3.
   {Shell button}.
       (a) A button made of shell.
       (b) A hollow button made of two pieces, as of metal, one
           for the front and the other for the back, -- often
           covered with cloth, silk, etc.
   {Shell cameo}, a cameo cut in shell instead of stone.
   {Shell flower}. (Bot.) Same as {Turtlehead}.
   {Shell gland}. (Zo["o]l.)
       (a) A glandular organ in which the rudimentary shell is
           formed in embryonic mollusks.
       (b) A glandular organ which secretes the eggshells of
           various worms, crustacea, mollusks, etc.
   {Shell gun}, a cannon suitable for throwing shells.
   {Shell ibis} (Zo["o]l.), the openbill of India.
   {Shell jacket}, an undress military jacket.
   {Shell lime}, lime made by burning the shells of shellfish.
   {Shell marl} (Min.), a kind of marl characterized by an
      abundance of shells, or fragments of shells.
   {Shell meat}, food consisting of shellfish, or testaceous
      mollusks. --Fuller.
   {Shell mound}. See under {Mound}.
   {Shell of a boiler}, the exterior of a steam boiler, forming
      a case to contain the water and steam, often inclosing
      also flues and the furnace; the barrel of a cylindrical,
      or locomotive, boiler.
   {Shell road}, a road of which the surface or bed is made of
      shells, as oyster shells.
   {Shell sand}, minute fragments of shells constituting a
      considerable part of the seabeach in some places.
   

3. \Shell\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shelled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Shelling}.]
   1. 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.
   2. To separate the kernels of (an ear of Indian corn, wheat,
      oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk.
   3. To throw shells or bombs upon or into; to bombard; as, to
      shell a town.
   {To shell out}, to distribute freely; to bring out or pay, as
      money. [Colloq.]
   

4. \Shell\, v. i.
   1. To fall off, as a shell, crust, etc.
   2. To cast the shell, or exterior covering; to fall out of
      the pod or husk; as, nuts shell in falling.
   3. To be disengaged from the ear or husk; as, wheat or rye
      shells in reaping.
   

1. An early system on the Datatron 200 series.

   [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)].

   [Jargon File]

2. 1. (Originally from Multics, widely propagated via Unix) The command interpreter used to pass commands to an operating system; so called because it is the part of the operating system that interfaces with the outside world.

   The commonest Unix shells are the c shell (csh) and the Bourne shell (sh).

   2. (Or "wrapper") Any interface program that mediates access to a special resource or server for convenience, efficiency, or security reasons; for this meaning, the usage is usually "a shell around" whatever.

   [Jargon File]