Pecten tenuicostatus (gcide) | Scallop \Scal"lop\ (?; 277), n. [OF. escalope a shell, probably
of German or Dutch origin, and akin to E. scale of a fish;
cf. D. schelp shell. See Scale of a fish, and cf.
Escalop.] [Written also scollop.]
1. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of marine bivalve
mollusks of the genus Pecten and allied genera of the
family Pectinidae. The shell is usually radially ribbed,
and the edge is therefore often undulated in a
characteristic manner. The large adductor muscle of some
the species is much used as food. One species ({Vola
Jacobaeus}) occurs on the coast of Palestine, and its
shell was formerly worn by pilgrims as a mark that they
had been to the Holy Land. Called also fan shell. See
Pecten, 2.
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Note: The common edible scallop of the Eastern United States
is Pecten irradians; the large sea scallop, also used
as food, is Pecten Clintonius syn. {Pecten
tenuicostatus}.
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2. One of series of segments of circles joined at their
extremities, forming a border like the edge or surface of
a scallop shell.
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3. One of the shells of a scallop; also, a dish resembling a
scallop shell.
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