eggshell
pronunciation
How to pronounce eggshell in British English:
UK [ˈegʃel]
How to pronounce eggshell in American English:
US [ˈɛɡˌʃɛl]
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- Noun:
- the exterior covering of a bird's egg
Word Origin
- eggshell (n.)
- also egg-shell, early 15c., from egg (n.) + shell (n.). It displaced ay-schelle (Old English ægscill), from the native word for "egg." As a color term, from 1894. Emblematic of "thin and delicate" from 1835; the figure of treading on eggshells "to move cautiously" is attested by 1734.
Example
- 1. Scientists knew that a specific protein played a roll in eggshell formation .
- 2. The earth as eggshell victim : a global perspective on domestic regulation .
- 3. It made a strange popping noise as the last bit of eggshell attached itself .
- 4. Ghosts crowd the child 's fragile eggshell mind .
- 5. In a computer simulation , the oc-17 protein acted as a catalyst to kickstart the formation of crystals that make up an eggshell by clamping itself on to calcium carbonate particles .