snail

[sneyl]

noun

1. any mollusk of the class Gastropoda, having a spirally coiled shell and a ventral muscular foot on which it slowly glides about.

2. a slow or lazy person; sluggard.

3. Machinery.,  a cam having the form of a spiral.

4. Midwestern and Western U.S.,  a sweet roll in spiral form, especially a cinnamon roll or piece of Danish pastry.

snail

/ sneɪl /

noun

1. 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 )

2. any other gastropod with a spirally coiled shell, such as a whelk

3. a slow-moving or lazy person or animal

Other Word Forms

• snaillike adjective
• snail-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of snail¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of snail¹

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

Example Sentences

She demonstrated an affinity for nature from a young age, filling her bedroom with worms and sea snails that she rushed back to their natural homes after her mother told her they would otherwise die.

From Los Angeles Times

Ben Cooper has been a fisherman in Whitstable on the north Kent coast since 1997, and relies heavily on the common whelk, a type of sea snail.

From BBC

Endangered Polymita tree snails, which are disappearing from their native forest habitats in Eastern Cuba, have vibrant, colourful and extravagantly patterned shells.

From BBC

K-beauty products are often more attractively priced than their Western counterparts - but also feature ingredients that are not as commonly found in the West - from heartleaf to snail mucin.

From BBC

One neighbor notified others that a “snail-poison” had been spread near a property and posted signs around the home that read, “Caution. Keep pets away! Toxic snail poison. Avoid white powder.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clam 
• conch 
• crawfish 
• crustacean 
• lobster 
• mollusk 
• mussel 
• oyster 
• prawn 
• scallop 
• shrimp