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snail

[ sneyl ]
/ sneɪl /
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See synonyms for: snail / snaillike on Thesaurus.com

noun
any mollusk of the class Gastropoda, having a spirally coiled shell and a ventral muscular foot on which it slowly glides about.
a slow or lazy person; sluggard.
Machinery. a cam having the form of a spiral.
Midwestern and Western U.S. a sweet roll in spiral form, especially a cinnamon roll or piece of Danish pastry.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of snail

before 900; Middle English snail, snayl(e), Old English snegel; cognate with Low German snagel,German (dial.) Schnegel

OTHER WORDS FROM snail

snaillike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use snail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for snail

snail
/ (sneɪl) /

noun
any of numerous terrestrial or freshwater gastropod molluscs with a spirally coiled shell, esp any of the family Helicidae, such as Helix aspersa (garden snail)
any other gastropod with a spirally coiled shell, such as a whelk
a slow-moving or lazy person or animal

Derived forms of snail

snail-like, adjective

Word Origin for snail

Old English snægl; related to Old Norse snigill, Old High German snecko
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
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