clam

[klæm]

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A clam is a type of marine mollusk that's usually found buried in sand or mud.

When people talk about clams, they often mean that they like to eat them. Freshly caught or farmed clams are commonly served steamed with garlic butter, lemon, and sometimes white wine, making them a popular choice for seafood lovers. You can also find canned or jarred clams in most supermarkets, which are great for soups or pasta dishes. If someone invites you to go clam digging on the beach, they're probably planning to dig up some of these tasty bivalves from their natural habitat and cook them later.

How common is "clam"?

Word clam is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; for example the soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria), the hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
Strong pincers or forceps.
A kind of vise, usually of wood.
A dollar (usually used in the plural).
Example: Those sneakers cost me fifty clams!
A Scientologist.
A vagina.
One who clams up; a taciturn person, one who refuses to speak.