English
shellheap
From shell + heap.
Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- ‘to cut, split’
Proto-Germanic *skaljō ‘shell, husk’
Proto-West Germanic *skallju
Old English sċiell
Middle English schelle
English shell
Proto-Indo-European *koupos ‘hill’
Proto-Germanic *haupaz ‘heap, pile’
Proto-West Germanic *haup ‘heap, pile’
Old English hēap
Middle English hepe ‘crowd, multitude, assembly’
English heap
Today it means
noun A prehistoric accumulation of shells, indicating the former presence of a community of people who ate shellfish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / shellheap