or soft·shell(sôft′shĕl′, sŏft′-)adj. also soft-shelled(-shĕld′) Having a soft, brittle, or unhardened shell, often as the result of a recent molt.n. A soft-shell aquatic animal.
soft′-shell`
adj. 1. Also, soft′-shelled′. having a soft, flexible, or fragile shell, as a crab that has recently molted. n. 2. a soft-shell animal, esp. a soft-shell crab. [1795–1805]ThesaurusSeesoft-shell clam