escargot

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French escargot.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛskɑɹˈɡoʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪsˈkɑːɡəʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ, -ɑː(ɹ)ɡəʊ

Noun

escargot (countable and uncountable, plural escargots)

1. (uncountable) A dish, commonly associated with French cuisine, consisting of edible snails.
   • 2007, Melissa de la Cruz, Crazy Hot, page 270:

     J. is dating P. at NYU and modeling on the side. They're planning to meet us in Paris for spring break so J. can go to some look-sees (and eat some escargot, obv.).

2. (countable) A snail (often Helix pomatia) used in preparation of that dish.

Translations

dish

• Bulgarian: блюдо от охлюви n (bljudo ot ohljuvi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 法國田螺／法国田螺 (fàguó tiánluó)

• French: escargot (fr) m, escargot de Bourgogne (fr) m
• Polish: ślimak (pl) m
• Portuguese: escargô (pt) m
• Russian: эскарго́ n (eskargó), эскарго́ де Бурго́нь n (eskargó dɛ Burgónʹ)

French

Etymology

From Occitan escargol, alteration of caragol, metathesis of cagaròl, possibly from a cross between Latin conchylium and Ancient Greek κάχλαξ (kákhlax), but see cagaròl. Doublet of cagouille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛs.kaʁ.ɡo/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

escargot m (plural escargots)

1. snail

   Synonyms: limaçon, (Louisiana, Cajun French) calimaçon

   Coordinate term: limace

2. (derogatory) slowpoke, slowcoach

Further reading

• “escargot”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.