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gastropod

[gas-truh-pod]
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noun
  1. any mollusk of the class Gastropoda, comprising the snails, whelks, slugs, etc.
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adjective
  1. Also gas·trop·o·dous [ga-strop-uh-duh s] /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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gastropod

Historical Examples

  • One of the prettiest of the gastropod shells, is that of the cowry, in some parts of Africa used as money.

    The Animal World, A Book of Natural History

    Theodore Wood

  • The problem of the causes of the torsion of the Gastropod body has been much discussed.

British Dictionary definitions for gastropod

gastropod

gasteropod

noun
  1. 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
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adjective
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Gastropoda
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Derived Formsgastropodan (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

Word Origin and History for gastropod

n.

1826, gasteropod (modern spelling by 1854), from Modern Latin Gasteropoda, name of a class of mollusks, from Greek gaster (genitive gastros) "stomach" (see gastric) + pous (genitive podos) "foot" (see foot (n.)). From the ventral position of the mollusk's "foot."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gastropod in Science

gastropod

[găs′trə-pŏd′]
  1. 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.
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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.