shellie
English edit
Etymology edit
From shell + -ie (diminutive suffix).
Noun edit
shellie (plural shellies)
- (informal) A small or miniature shell.
- 2023, Kate LoMedico Marriott, Alexander Bartholomew, Donald R. Prothero, Evolution of the Ammonoids, page 60:
- As you would expect, the first shelled organisms acquired a shell in small steps, forming tiny (less than 1 mm) hard parts nicknamed "little shellies" or "small shellies."