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gastropod

[ gas-truh-pod ]
/ ˈgæs trəˌpɒd /

noun

any mollusk of the class Gastropoda, comprising the snails, whelks, slugs, etc.

adjective

Also gas·trop·o·dous [ga-strop-uh-duhs]. /gæˈstrɒp ə dəs/. belonging or pertaining to the gastropods.

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Origin of gastropod

First recorded in 1820–30, gastropod is from the New Latin word Gast(e)ropoda a class of mollusks. See gastro-, -pod

Words nearby gastropod

gastropathy, gastropexy, gastrophrenic, gastroplasty, gastroplication, gastropod, gastroptosis, gastropub, gastropulmonary, gastropylorectomy, gastropyloric
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for gastropod

British Dictionary definitions for gastropod

gastropod

gasteropod

/ (ˈɡæstrəˌpɒd) /

noun

any mollusc of the class Gastropoda, typically having a flattened muscular foot for locomotion and a head that bears stalked eyes. The class includes the snails, whelks, limpets, and slugs

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Gastropoda

Derived forms of gastropod

gastropodan (ɡæsˈtrɒpədən), adjective, noungastropodous, adjective
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

Scientific definitions for gastropod

gastropod
[ găs′trə-pŏd′ ]

Any of various carnivorous or herbivorous mollusks of the class Gastropoda, having a head with eyes and feelers and a muscular foot on the underside of its body with which it moves. Most gastropods are aquatic, but some have adapted to life on land. Gastropods include snails, which have a coiled shell, and slugs, which have a greatly reduced shell or none at all.

Word History

Snails, conchs, whelks, and many other similar animals with shells are all called gastropods by scientists. The word gastropod comes from Greek and means “stomach foot,” a name that owes its existence to the unusual anatomy of snails. Snails have a broad flat muscular “foot” used for support and for forward movement. This foot runs along the underside of the animal-essentially along its belly. The Greek elements gastro-, “stomach,” and -pod, “foot,” are found in many other scientific names, such as gastritis (an inflammation of the stomach) and sauropod (“lizard foot,” a type of dinosaur).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.