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Clam vs Clan - What's the difference?

clam | clan |

As nouns the difference between clam and clan

is that clam is a bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; as, the long clam (species: Mya arenaria), the quahog or round clam (Venus mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (species: Spisula solidissima), and other species of the United States. The name is said to have been given originally to the species: Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve while clan is a group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief.

As a verb clam

is to dig for clams.

clam

English

(wikipedia clam)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; as, the long clam (, a huge East Indian bivalve.
  • * , chapter=3
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams' thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. ' Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.}}
  • Strong pincers or forceps.
  • A kind of vise, usually of wood.
  • (US, slang) A dollar (usually used in the plural). Possibly originating from the term wampum.
  • (slang, derogatory) A Scientologist.
  • * {{quote-newsgroup, year=1998, date=23 February, author=
    • jesparolini, title=CO$ Celebrities: USEFUL IDIOTS citation

    Verb

    (clamm)
  • To dig for clams.

    • Derived terms

    * American jackknife clam * Atlantic jackknife clam * bamboo clam * clam chowder * clamshell * clam up * giant clam * piss clam * razor clam

    See also

    * clammy

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A crash or clangor made by ringing all the bells of a chime at once.
    • (Nares)

    Verb

    (clamm)
  • To produce, in bellringing, a clam or clangor; to cause to clang.
    • (Nares)

    Etymology 3

    Noun

  • clamminess; moisture
  • * Carlyle
    • The clam of death.

    Verb

    (clamm)
  • To be moist or glutinous; to stick; to adhere.
    • (Dryden)
  • To clog, as with glutinous or viscous matter.
  • * L'Estrange
    • A swarm of wasps got into a honey pot, and there they cloyed and clammed themselves till there was no getting out again.
    (Webster 1913)

    Anagrams

    * ----

    clan

    English

    (wikipedia clan)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (anthropology) A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief.
  • A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain
  • Any association of people behaving clannishly.
  • (video games) A group of players who habitually play on the same team in multiplayer games.
  • A badger colony.

    • Derived terms

    * clannish * matriclan * patriclan

    Descendants

    * Dutch: (l) * German: (l)