Meanings
plural eggshells
- countableuncountableThe shell around an egg.
Like Egge-ſhels mou'd upon their Surges, crack'd / As eaſily ’gainſt our Rockes.
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 380 - countableuncountableA pale off-white colour, like that of the eggshell of many chickens.
comparative more eggshell · superlative most eggshell
- Of a pale yellowish-whitish colour, like that of the eggshell.
The ceiling panels are in off-white eggshell semi-matt finish.
1959 January 28, “Single-Unit Diesel Railcars for the Western Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 57 - Exhibiting the thinness, translucency or near-transparency, and fragility of an eggshell.
eggshell porcelain
- Very matt, having a low reflexivity, like an eggshell.
This clear varnish is available in gloss, matt and eggshell finishes.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishǣġsċill
- Middle Englisheggeshell
- Englisheggshell
From Middle English eggeshell, ege schelle, egg-shel, egg shelle (also as Middle English eye schell, ey-schel, ey-schelle), partially continuing Old English ǣġsċill, ǣġsċyll (“eggshell”), equivalent to egg + shell. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oaierskil (“eggshell”), Dutch eierschaal (“eggshell”), German Eierschale (“eggshell”), Danish æggeskal (“eggshell”), Swedish äggskal (“eggshell”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans eierdop
- eierdopobject
Arabic قَشْر الْبَيْضِ
- قَشْر الْبَيْضِ (qašr al-bayḍi)object
Basque arrautza-azal
- arrautza-azalobject
Bulgarian черупка
- черупка (čerupka)object
Catalan blanc de closca d'ou, closca f d'ou
- blanc de closca d'oucolour
- closca f d'ouobject
Chinese Cantonese 蛋殼 /蛋壳
- 蛋殼 /蛋壳object
Chinese Mandarin 蛋殼 /蛋壳
- 蛋殼 /蛋壳 (dànké, dànke)object
Czech skořápka
- skořápkaobject
Danish æggeskal
- æggeskalobject
Dutch eierschaal
- eierschaalobject
Esperanto ovoŝelo
- ovoŝeloobject
Finnish munankuori
- munankuoriobject
French coquille d’œuf, coquille d'œuf
- coquille d’œufcolour
- coquille d'œufobject
German Eierschale
- Eierschaleobject
Greek αβγότσουφλο
- αβγότσουφλο (avgótsouflo)object
Hungarian tojáshéj
- tojáshéjobject
Icelandic beingulur litur, beingulur
- beingulur liturcolour
- beingulurcolour
- eggjaskurnobject
- beingulurof a pale yellowish-whitish colour
Indonesian kulit telur
- kulit telurobject
Irish blaosc uibhe
- blaosc uibheobject
Italian guscio d'uovo
- guscio d'uovoobject
Japanese 卵の殻, 卵殻
- 卵の殻 (tamago no kara)object
- 卵殻object
Korean 달걀 껍질, 계란(鷄卵) 껍질
- 달걀 껍질 (dalgyal kkeopjil)object
- 계란(鷄卵) 껍질 (gyeran kkeopjil)object
- 난각 (nan'gak)object
Latvian olas čaumala, čaumala
- olas čaumalaobject
- čaumalaobject
Lithuanian kiaušinio lukštas, lukštas
- kiaušinio lukštasobject
- lukštasobject
Polish skorupka jajka
- skorupka jajkaobject
Portuguese casca de ovo, casca de ovo
- casca de ovocolour
- casca de ovoobject
Romanian coajă de ou
- coajă de ouobject
Russian яи́чная скорлупа́, скорлупа́
- яи́чная скорлупа́ (jaíčnaja skorlupá)object
- скорлупа́ (skorlupá)object
Scottish Gaelic plaosg-uighe, slige
- plaosg-uigheobject
- sligeobject
Slovak škrupina
- škrupinaobject
Spanish cáscara de huevo
- cáscara de huevoobject
Swedish äggskal
- äggskalobject
Tamil முட்டையோடு
- முட்டையோடு (muṭṭaiyōṭu)object
Thai เปลือกไข่
- เปลือกไข่ (bplʉ̀ʉak-kài)object
Vietnamese vỏ trứng
- vỏ trứngobject
Welsh plisgyn ŵy, masgl ŵy
- plisgyn ŵyobject
- masgl ŵyobject
Cite this entry
eggshell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eggshell
“eggshell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eggshell. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eggshell,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eggshell.
Source: eggshell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.