Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: clam 'two-part fastener' (14-20 centuries), from Old English clamm 'chain, rope, etc. for tying something up'; from the tight shutting of a clam shell

clam

1 noun
     
clam
clam1 [countable]
1 a shellfish you can eat that has a shell in two parts that open up:
clam chowder (=a type of soup)
2

as happy as a clam

American English informal very happy
3 American English informal someone who does not say what they are thinking or feeling
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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