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A clam is a bivalve mollusc. The word "clam" has no real taxonomic significance in biology. However in the USA the word can sometimes be used to mean any bivalve mollusc. It can also be used to mean a bivalve other than an oyster, mussel, or scallop, and that has a more-or-less oval shape, or a freshwater mussel (Merriam-Webster Dictionary.). The word clam is also very often used to mean any one of many edible bivalve species which live buried in sand, hence, "digging for clams" or clam digging. Not all edible clams are round or oval in shape: the razor clam has an elongated shell whose shape suggests a straight razor.
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