limpet
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom 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- IPA(key): /ˈlɪm.pɪt/
* Rhymes: -ɪmpɪtAudio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
editlimpet (plural limpets)
- A small mollusc, of the family Patellidae with a conical shell found clinging to rocks in the intertidal zones of rocky shores.
- (British) Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.
- He stuck to me like a limpet all day!
Derived terms
editTranslations
edita 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
Anagrams
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- en:Gastropods
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