ETYM Old Eng. shelle, schelle, as. scell, scyll; akin to Dutch shel, Icel. skel, Goth. skalja a tile, and Eng. skill. Related to Scale of fishes, Shale, Skill.
1. A rigid covering that envelops an object.
2. The exterior covering of a bird's egg; SYN. eggshell.
3. The hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts.
4. The outer covering or housing of something; SYN. case, casing.
5. A very light narrow racing boat; SYN. racing shell.
The hard outer covering of a wide variety of invertebrates. The covering is usually mineralized, normally with large amounts of calcium. The shell of birds' eggs is also largely made of calcium.
Trade name of the Anglo-Dutch oil-development and exploration concern Royal Dutch/Shell Group, one of the world's biggest companies, formed 1907.
Shell is the world's largest oil and gas producer, with the largest oil reserves, and is responsible for 5% of the world's oil and gas production. It has 2,000 operating companies worldwide. It is also the world's largest retailer, with (1994) 40,000 gasoline stations in 100 countries. Its sales turnover in 1992 amounted to more than the gross national product of any country except the 23 richest.
The company abandoned plans to dump a disused oil-storage platform in the north Atlantic Ocean June 1995 in the face of widespread protests spearheaded by the environmentalist group Greenpeace.
The business originated in the early 19th century with a curio shop in E London that sold shell ornaments; by 1830 the dealer, Marcus Samuel, had built up an international trade in copra and oriental artifacts. From 1897 the company dealt in oil and kerosene (paraffin oil) and was consolidated as the Shell Transport and Trading Company, amalgamating with the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company 1907. + prikaži više