} a. Having a soft or fragile shell. [ 1913 Webster ]
Soft-shell clam (Zool.), the long clam. See Mya. -- Soft-shelled crab. (Zool.) See the Note under Crab, 1. -- Soft-shelled turtle. (Zool.) Same as Soft tortoise, under Soft. [ 1913 Webster ]
[べっこう, bekkou] (n) (1) (See 玳瑁) tortoiseshell (of the hawksbill turtle); bekko; (2) (See 鼈) (in Chinese medicine) tortoiseshell (esp. of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle)