Removed the hard outer covering (shell) from nuts, eggs, or seafood, or fired artillery shells at a location during combat.
From Old English 'scell' or 'shell' (a hard outer covering). The verb meaning to remove shells emerged naturally, while the military usage developed in the 19th century when artillery shells became common.
Shelled has two completely different meanings that somehow feel right—one about removing protective layers reveals things inside, while the other about firing shells destroys what's inside, which is oddly poetic about vulnerability.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.