English
shell-like
From shell + -like.
Formed from shell + -like
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ‘to cut, split’
Proto-Germanic *skaljō ‘shell, husk’
Proto-West Germanic *skallju
Old English sċiell
Middle English schelle
English shell
Today it means
adj Having a similar shape to a seashell.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “shell-like”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / shell-like