mus ‧ sel /ˈmʌs ə l/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: muscelle , from Latin musculus 'little mouse, muscle, mussel' ( ⇨ ↑ muscle 1 ); because it looks like a mouse ]
a small sea animal with a soft body that can be eaten and a black shell that is divided into two parts