limpet
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- limpin (dialectal)
Etymology edit
From Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu (“lamprey”), borrowed from Medieval Latin lampreda, alteration of Late Latin lampetra (“lamprey”), whose further origin is unknown, though is traditionally thought to derive from lambō (“I lick, lap”) + petra (“stone, rock”). Doublet of lamprey, which came through Old French.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
limpet (plural limpets)
- A small mollusc, of the family Patellidae with a conical shell found clinging to rocks in the intertidal zones of rocky shores.
- (Britain) Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.
- He stuck to me like a limpet all day!
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
a small mollusc
|
someone dependant
References edit
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024), “limpet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Further reading edit
- limpet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Patellidae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies