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univalve

(Science: zoology) A shell consisting of one valve only; a mollusk whose shell is composed of a single piece, as the snails and conchs.

most univalves are spiral and are the shells of gastropods, but many belong to cephalopods and pteropods. A large number of univalves belonging to the gastropods are conical, cup-shaped, or shieldlike, as the limpets.

Origin: Uni- _ valve: cf. F. Univalve.