/ klæm; NAmE /
■ noun
a shellfish that can be eaten. It has a shell in two parts that can open and close :
clam chowder / soup
■ verb
( -mm- )
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PHRASAL VERBS
- clam up (on sb)
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WORD ORIGIN
early 16th cent.: apparently from earlier clam a clamp , from Old English clam , clamm a bond or bondage , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch klemme , German Klemme , also to clamp .