A mussel is a type of shellfish with a dark, elongated shell that lives in freshwater or saltwater, often attached to rocks. Many mussels are edible and are eaten as seafood.
From Old English *muscle*, from Latin *musculus* “muscle, mussel,” originally meaning “little mouse.” The shellfish and the body tissue shared the same Latin name before English split them into *muscle* and *mussel*.
“Muscle” and “mussel” come from the same Latin word—one became the body part, the other the shellfish. The spelling drifted apart in English, but their history is identical. Language learners often mix them up, which is funny because in Latin you’d be right either way.
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