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Added 10 October 2026

shuck

/ʃʌk/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about shuck at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds.

verb

Remove from the shell.
shuck oysters
Remove the shucks from.
shuck corn

Origin

Origin unknown. Possibly a dialectal survival of unrecorded Middle English *schulk(e), *schullok (“small shell”); either from Old English *sċylluc, *sċylloc, diminutive of Old English sċyll (“shell”), or alternatively created in Middle English from Middle English schulle, schelle (“shell, husk, pod”) + -ok, making it equivalent to shell + -ock (diminutive suffix) or shell + -k (diminutive suffix).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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