limpet

[ lim-pit ]
See synonyms for limpet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various marine gastropods with a low conical shell open beneath, often browsing on rocks at the shoreline and adhering when disturbed.

Origin of limpet

1
before 1050; Middle English lempet,Old English lempedu, nasalized variant of *lepedu<Latin lepada, accusative of lepas<Greek lepás limpet

Words Nearby limpet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use limpet in a sentence

  • When the tide is out, the limpet clings to the rock, its soft body tucked safely away in the shell.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
  • Then the limpet's shell may be seen to tilt up, and a foot, and a head with feelers and eyes, come out.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
  • In time this resting-place becomes hollowed out, and the limpet's shell fits into the groove thus made.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
  • You will know, if you have tried to force a limpet from its hold on the rock, how very tightly it clings.

    On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith

British Dictionary definitions for limpet

limpet

/ (ˈlɪmpɪt) /


noun
  1. any of numerous marine gastropods, such as Patella vulgata (common limpet) and Fissurella (or Diodora) apertura (keyhole limpet), that have a conical shell and are found clinging to rocks

  2. any of various similar freshwater gastropods, such as Ancylus fluviatilis (river limpet)

  1. (modifier) relating to or denoting certain weapons that are attached to their targets by magnetic or adhesive properties and resist removal: limpet mines

  2. a small open caisson shaped to fit against a dock wall, used mainly in repair work

Origin of limpet

1
Old English lempedu, from Latin lepas, from Greek

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012