Shell in different languages

Shell in Different Languages

Discover 'Shell' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

A shell is a fascinating word with a wide range of meanings and uses. It can refer to the hard, outer covering of an animal, such as a snail or a hermit crab. Or, in the context of computers, it can refer to the command-line interface used to interact with an operating system. Shells have also been used as a metaphor in literature and philosophy to explore the nature of the self and identity.

The cultural significance of shells is vast and varied. In many indigenous cultures, shells are believed to have spiritual and healing properties. They have been used as currency, jewelry, and decorative items for centuries. In the world of art, shells have been a popular subject for painters, sculptors, and photographers alike.

Understanding the translation of the word 'shell' in different languages can provide insight into how different cultures view and interact with this versatile object. For example, in Spanish, 'shell' is 'concha,' while in German, it's 'Schale.' In French, it's 'coquille,' and in Japanese, it's 'kaai'.

In this article, we will explore the translations of the word 'shell' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural significance of this word around the world.

Shell


Shell in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansdop
The word "dop" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "dop" meaning "cap" or "cover", and can also refer to a small cup or container.
Amharicshellል
"Shell" is also the English word for the external covering of an egg
Hausaharsashi
The word "harsashi" also means "snuff" in Hausa.
Igboshei
In addition to meaning "shell," "shei" also means "shield," "cover," or "protection."
Malagasyakorandriaka
The Malagasy word "akorandriaka" is sometimes used to describe a type of shellfish, such as a clam or oyster.
Nyanja (Chichewa)chipolopolo
The word "chipolopolo", meaning "shell" in Nyanja, is also used as a nickname for the Zambian national football team.
Shonagoko
The word 'goko' can also refer to a calabash used as a drinking vessel or a type of snail.
Somaliqolof
Somali "qolof" comes from "qolaf", meaning "to break", because shells can break into many pieces
Sesothokhetla
The plural form of 'khetla' (shells) is 'makhetla', which means 'money' in contemporary slang.
Swahiliganda
"Ganda" translates as "shell" in Swahili, and can also refer to a "hard object" or "a person with a hard or unyielding nature."
Xhosaiqokobhe
In Xhosa, "iqokobhe" means both "shell" and "a woman who has lost her husband."
Yorubaikarahun
"Ikarahun" can also mean "the outer hard covering of a coconut" or "a skull" in Yoruba
Zuluigobolondo
Igobolondo is a Zulu word that refers to a snail's shell, but it can also figuratively describe someone who is slow-moving or indecisive.
Bambaraka wɔrɔ
Ewedzato
Kinyarwandaigikonoshwa
Lingalamposo ya liki
Lugandaekisosonkole
Sepedilegapi
Twi (Akan)hono

Shell in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالصدف
The word "الصدف" can also refer to the mother-of-pearl lining of a shell, or to the game of chance where players guess the position of an object hidden under one of three cups.
Hebrewצדף
"צדף" can also mean "side" or "direction" in Hebrew.
Pashtoپوړ
پوړ, which means 'skin' in Pashto, is also used to denote 'shell' and 'crust'.
Arabicالصدف
The word "الصدف" can also refer to the mother-of-pearl lining of a shell, or to the game of chance where players guess the position of an object hidden under one of three cups.

Shell in Western European Languages

Albanianguaskë
The term "guaskë" in Albanian, besides referring to a protective layer, also denotes a thin layer applied to the surface of an object.
Basquemaskorra
The word "maskorra" in Basque also refers to a type of wicker basket used to transport fish and other items.
Catalanpetxina
"Petxina" comes from the Latin "pecten" and initially referred to the pecten muscle of the scallop or "vieira".
Croatianljuska
In some Croatian dialects, "ljuska" can also refer to a layer of something like bark, skin, or crust.
Danishskal
The Danish word "skal" (shell) also means "toast" and derives from the Old Norse word "skál," meaning "bowl" or "cup."
Dutchschelp
In Dutch, the word "schelp" refers not only to the hard outer covering of a mollusk, but also to the coins used in card games.
Englishshell
In addition to its meaning as an external covering,
Frenchcoquille
The French word "coquille" can also mean "misprint" or "small mistake".
Frisianshell
In Frisian, the word "shell" can also mean "peel" or "skin" of fruit or vegetables.
Galiciancuncha
The Galician word "cuncha" can also refer to a specific type of shellfish, such as a clam or a mussel.
Germanschale
The German word "Schale" is a multi-purpose word that can mean a cup, a peel, a bowl, or, of course, a shell.
Icelandicskel
The Icelandic word "skel" is cognate with the English word "scale" and can also refer to a bowl or dish.
Irishbhlaosc
Irish 'bhlaosc' and Welsh 'blaidd' are cognates with the same Proto-Celtic root as English 'blade', which is 'bleid'. The root is reconstructible from Proto-Indo-European.
Italianconchiglia
The term "conchiglia" is derived from the Latin "conchylium," meaning "seashell" or "mollusc."
Luxembourgishréibau
Réibau is a loanword from the Walloon language, related to the French word "rabaisse" meaning "to lower".
Malteseqoxra
The Maltese word "qoxra" is derived from the Arabic word "qushra", meaning "peel" or "bark". It can also refer to the rind of fruit or the skin of an animal.
Norwegianskall
In some Norwegian dialects, "skall" can also refer to a thin layer of ice.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)concha
In Portuguese, "concha" can also refer to a type of bread or a musical instrument.
Scots Gaelicslige
Slige stems from the Old Irish word slig, a generic term for a shell or husk
Spanishcáscara
The word "cáscara" also refers to the thin outer layer of certain fruits, such as coconuts and almonds.
Swedishskal
The Swedish word "skal" has many alternate meanings, including "skull", "armor", and "crust".
Welshplisgyn
The Welsh word "plisgyn" also means "a layer of something" such as a layer of fat or a layer of clothing.

Shell in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianабалонка
Абалонка is also used colloquially to refer to someone's head.
Bosnianškoljka
The Bosnian word "školjka" also refers to the outer layer of a pearl oyster, and is used in the idiom "biti u školjci" meaning to be closed in or isolated.
Bulgarianчерупка
"Черупка" can also refer to a small cup, or a part of an animal's anatomy, such as its ear shell or eyelid."
Czechskořápka
The word 'skořápka' also refers to a type of pastry filled with fruit or jam.
Estoniankest
"Kest'" originally meant a protective or firm layer such as the crust of bread.
Finnishkuori
"Kuori" also means "crust" in Finnish, referring to the hard outer layer of various substances like bread or ice.
Hungarianhéj
The word "héj" in Hungarian can also refer to the skin, or the bark of a tree.
Latvianapvalks
Latvian "apvalks" means both "shell" and "coat, cover, coverlet, sheet, or wrapper."
Lithuanianapvalkalas
The word "apvalkalas" has a literal meaning of "enveloping ball" and also means "covering" or "envelope".
Macedonianшколка
In addition to its primary meaning, "школка" can also refer to a type of school or a place where something is cultivated.
Polishmuszla
The word "muszla" is derived from the Old Polish word "musza", which meant "snail".
Romaniancoajă
The word "coajă" is also used figuratively to refer to the external layer or covering of something, such as a book cover or a nut's shell.
Russianоболочка
In Russian, the word "оболочка" can also refer to a membrane or a wrapper.
Serbianшкољка
The word "шкољка" (shell) in Serbian originally referred to a tortoise shell, but its meaning has expanded to include other hard-shelled objects like sea shells and nuts.
Slovakškrupina
The Slovak word ''škrupina'' (''shell'') originally comes from Germanic languages via Polish and can also mean ‘crust’…
Slovenianlupino
"Lupino" is the Italian name for the lupin bean, a type of legume.
Ukrainianоболонка
The word "оболонка" in Ukrainian has roots in Proto-Slavic "oblъ", from which the Russian word "облако" (cloud) also derives.

Shell in South Asian Languages

Bengaliখোল
The word "খোল" is also used to refer to a type of musical instrument, particularly a percussion instrument consisting of a hollowed-out gourd or wooden frame covered with skin.
Gujaratiશેલ
"શેલ" means "shell". It is a Gujarati word that is used to refer to the hard outer covering of an animal or plant.
Hindiशेल
The Hindi word "शेल" also means a house made of tiles or bricks, with a tiled roof.
Kannadaಶೆಲ್
The Kannada word "ಶೆಲ್" can also refer to a type of bean or a coin.
Malayalamഷെൽ
In Malayalam, "ഷെൽ" also refers to a type of cloth made from fine cotton threads.
Marathiकवच
कवच (kavach) also means 'shield', 'mail', or 'plate armour' in Marathi.
Nepaliखोल
The word खोल originates from Sanskrit and can also mean 'to open' or 'to reveal'.
Punjabiਸ਼ੈੱਲ
ਸ਼ੈੱਲ (shell) means both a protective outer layer and the currency of Belize.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කවචය
"කවචය" is also a term for the armour worn by warriors in the ancient Sinhala army.
Tamilஷெல்
In Tamil, "ஷெல்" can also refer to a "company" or a "corporation"
Teluguషెల్
Urduشیل
The word “شیل” can also mean “a strip of cloth, especially one worn around the head or waist” or “protection, covering, shield, or support” in Urdu.

Shell in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)贝壳
贝壳本意指金钱,因金钱形似贝壳而得名.
Chinese (Traditional)貝殼
貝殼在《說文解字》上解釋為「水蟲甲也」,除了指海洋生物的外部骨骼或保護層外,也可用於比喻某些形狀或性質類似殼的器物或事物,如「蛋殼」、「龜殼」、「防護貝殼」等。
Japaneseシェル
The word "シェル" can also refer to a computer application's "shell", derived from the command-line shell, an interface which allows users to interact with the operating system.
Korean껍질
The word "껍질" also means "rind" or "peel", such as in 귤껍질 (grapefruit peel) or 계란껍질 (eggshell).
Mongolianбүрхүүл
The word "бүрхүүл" (shell) can also refer to a cover, casing, or envelope.
Myanmar (Burmese)အခွံ
In Burmese,

Shell in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiankulit
The word "kulit" in Indonesian comes from the Proto-Austronesian word "kulit", which also means "skin".
Javanesecangkang
"Cangkang" in Javanese also means "casing" or "box", and is often used to refer to the outer layer of something, such as a fruit or a building.
Khmerសំបក
"សំបក" can also refer to a type of Cambodian musical instrument.
Laoຫອຍ
The word "ຫອຍ" can also refer to a type of vegetable or a kind of snail.
Malaytempurung
Tempurung (Malay for "shell") derives from the Sanskrit word "tampura", meaning "coconut", or "skull" in reference to the similarity in shape.
Thaiเปลือก
The Thai word "เปลือก" (shell) comes from the Pali language, and is related to the words "ปิฐ" (to envelop) and "กรัก" (to close).
Vietnamesevỏ sò
"Vỏ sò" is also a metaphor for a person who is strong and resilient, like the protective shell of a mollusk.
Filipino (Tagalog)kabibi

Shell in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniqabıq
The Azerbaijani word "qabıq" also refers to a type of pastry filled with meat or vegetables and resembles a pastry shell, reflecting the versatility of the term's culinary and linguistic applications.
Kazakhқабық
In Kazakh, the word 'қабық' also means 'crust' or 'skin', highlighting its diverse meanings related to external coverings.
Kyrgyzкабык
The word "кабык" can also refer to animal skins and the outer layer of certain plants.
Tajikниҳонӣ
The word "ниҳонӣ" (shell) is also used to mean "secret" in Tajik.
Turkmengabyk
Uzbekqobiq
"Qobiq" can also mean "crust" (e.g., the crust of bread) or "covering" (e.g., the covering of a book).
Uyghurshell

Shell in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpūpū
In Hawaiian, "pūpū" originally referred to the sound of a conch shell, and later took on the meanings "conch shell" and "appetizer".
Maorianga
The Maori word "anga" can also mean "limb" or "branch" in the context of the human body or plants.
Samoanatigi
In Samoan slang,
Tagalog (Filipino)kabibi
The word "kabibi" in Tagalog is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "kabi" meaning "shell" or "cowrie".

Shell in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarakaparasuna
Guaranipire

Shell in International Languages

Esperantoŝelo
Esperanto has a second "ŝelo" which means a "person who is always on the go or who likes to talk a lot"
Latintesta
In Latin, "testa" also refers to an earthen vessel, a brick, a tile, a skull, or the shell of a nut.

Shell in Others Languages

Greekκέλυφος
The word "κέλυφος" (shell) also denotes a turtle shell, a cup, a vault, or a coffin in Greek.
Hmongplhaub
The Hmong word "plhaub" also refers to the outer layers of certain plants and to a protective device used in a children's game.
Kurdishlegan
The word 'legan' is cognate with the Persian word 'laghun' and the Armenian word 'lagwnak'.
Turkishkabuk
"Kabuk" can also mean "crust" or "scab" in Turkish.
Xhosaiqokobhe
In Xhosa, "iqokobhe" means both "shell" and "a woman who has lost her husband."
Yiddishשעל
The Yiddish word "shaal" can also refer to a "step" or a "stage" in a process.
Zuluigobolondo
Igobolondo is a Zulu word that refers to a snail's shell, but it can also figuratively describe someone who is slow-moving or indecisive.
Assameseখোলা
Aymarakaparasuna
Bhojpuriसीप
Dhivehiބޮލި
Dogriकोका
Filipino (Tagalog)kabibi
Guaranipire
Ilocanolupos
Krioshɛl
Kurdish (Sorani)قاوغ
Maithiliकवच
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯝꯀꯨ
Mizokawr
Oromoman'ee cilalluu
Odia (Oriya)ଶେଲ୍ |
Quechuachuru
Sanskritकोष्ठ
Tatarкабыгы
Tigrinyaዛዕጎል
Tsongaxiphambati

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