What is "scallop"

Scallop \Scal"lop\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scalloped; p. pr. & vb. n. Scalloping.]

1. To mark or cut the edge or border of into segments of circles, like the edge or surface of a scallop shell. See Scallop, n.,

2. 2. (Cookery) To bake in scallop shells or dishes; to prepare with crumbs of bread or cracker, and bake. See Scalloped oysters, below.

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. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of marine bivalve mollusks of the genus Pecten and allied genera of the family Pectinid[ae]. 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 Jacob[ae]us) 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. 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.

   2. One of series of segments of circles joined at their extremities, forming a border like the edge or surface of a scallop shell.

3. One of the shells of a scallop; also, a dish resembling a scallop shell.

"bivalve mollusk," c.1400, from Old French escalope "shell (of a nut), carpace," variant of eschalope, probably from a Germanic source (compare Old Norse skalpr "sheath," Middle Dutch schelpe "shell"); see scale (n.1). The shells of the larger species have been used as domestic utensils. Extended 17c. to objects shaped like scallop shells, especially in design and dress. The verb in the cookery sense, "to bake with sauce in a scallop shell-shaped pan," is attested from 1737. Related: Scalloped; scalloping.\n

n. 1 Any of various marine bivalve molluscs of the family Pectinidae which are free-swimming. 2 A curved projection, making part of a decoration. 3 A fillet of meat, escalope. 4 A form of fried potato. 5 A dish shaped like a scallop shell. vb. 1 To (be) cut in the shape of a crescent 2 (context transitive English) to make or cook scallops 3 (context transitive English) to bake in a casserole (gratin), originally in a scallop shell; especially used in form (term scalloped English) 4 (context intransitive English) to harvest scallops

1. n. one of a series of rounded projections (or the notches between them) formed by curves along an edge (as the edge of a leaf or piece of cloth or the margin of a shell or a shriveled red blood cell observed in a hypertonic solution etc.) [syn: crenation, crenature, crenel, crenelle]

2. edible muscle of mollusks having fan-shaped shells; served broiled or poached or in salads or cream sauces [syn: scollop, escallop]

3. thin slice of meat (especially veal) usually fried or broiled [syn: cutlet, scollop, escallop]

4. edible marine bivalve having a fluted fan-shaped shell that swim by expelling water from the shell in a series of snapping motions [syn: scollop, escallop]

1. v. decorate an edge with scallops; "the dress had a scalloped skirt"

2. form scallops in; "scallop the meat" [syn: scollop]

3. fish for scallops [syn: scollop]

4. shape or cut in scallops; "scallop the hem of the dress" [syn: scollop]

Scallop ( or ) is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater clams or marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families within the superfamily Pectinoidea.

Scallops are a cosmopolitan family of bivalves, found in all of the world's oceans, though never in freshwater. They are one of very few groups of bivalves to be primarily "free-living"; many species are capable of rapidly swimming short distances and even of migrating some distance across the ocean floor. A small minority of scallop species live cemented to rocky substrates as adults, while others are more simply attached by means of a filament they secrete called a byssal thread. The majority of species, however, live recumbent on sandy substrates, and when they sense the presence of a predator such as a starfish, they are able to escape by swimming swiftly but erratically through the water using a form of jet propulsion created by repeatedly clapping their shells together. Scallops have a well-developed nervous system, and unlike most other bivalves they have numerous simple eyes situated around the edge of their mantles.

Many species of scallops are highly prized as a food source, and some are farmed as aquaculture. The word "scallop" is also applied to the meat of these bivalves when it is sold as seafood. In addition the name "scallop" is used as part of the name of dishes based on the meat of scallops, and is even applied to some dishes not containing scallop at all but which are prepared in a similar fashion. The brightly colored, symmetrical, fan-shaped shells of scallops with their radiating and often fluted sculpture are valued by shell collectors, and have been used since ancient times as motifs in art, architecture and design.

Scallops do produce pearls, though the pearls do not have the buildup of layers, or “nacre”, and may not have luster or iridescence. They can be dull, small and of varying color, but there are exceptions that are appreciated for their aesthetic qualities.