shell Definition

shell
noun

1. bot.
The hard protective structure covering the seed or fruit of some plants.
Thesaurus: husk, pod, case, casing.
2. zool.
The hard protective structure covering the body of certain animals, especially shellfish, snails and tortoises.
3. The hard protective structure covering an egg.
4. The empty covering of eg a shellfish, found on the seashore.
5. Any hard protective cover.
6. A round of ammunition for a large-bore gun, eg a mortar.
7. A shotgun cartridge.
8. An empty framework or outer case, especially the early stages of construction or the undestroyed remains of something, eg a building.

Thesaurus: hull, skeleton, structure, framework, chassis.
9. computing.
A program that acts as a user-friendly interface between an operating system and the user.
10. chem.
One of a series of concentric spheres representing the possible orbits of electrons as they revolve around the nucleus of an atom.
11. A type of light racing boat.

verb shelled, shelling

1. To remove the shell from something.

Thesaurus: strip, peel, husk, shuck (US), exfoliate.
2. To bombard with (eg mortar) shells.

Example: They shelled the city all night
Thesaurus: bomb, attack, bombard, barrage, strike.

Idiom: come out of one's shell

To cease to be shy and become more friendly or sociable.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon scell.

Phrasal Verb: shell out or shell out for something

To pay out (money) or spend (money) on it.
Example: I had to shell out a fortune for it