shellie

English

Etymology

From shell +‎ -ie (diminutive suffix).

Noun

shellie (plural shellies)

1. (informal) A small or miniature shell.
   • 2023, Kate LoMedico Marriott, Alexander Bartholomew, Donald R. Prothero, Evolution of the Ammonoids, page 60:

     As you would expect, the first shelled organisms acquired a shell in small steps, forming tiny (less than 1 mm) hard parts nicknamed "little shellies" or "small shellies."