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

Derived Forms

• ˈsnail-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• 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

According to legend, Tyre is the place where purple pigment was first created - the dye crushed out of snail shells to embroider royal robes.

From BBC

Bolt driver Stephen Abuwatseya accepted a job to deliver some snails to Ikwechegh’s home in the capital, Abuja, and began recording their conversation after an argument started over payment.

From BBC

Grace is the snail of Elliot’s title; she’s constantly wearing a hat adorned with two tentacled eyes made out of juggling balls.

From Los Angeles Times

They have weird masks that they use there like “snail trail.”

From Los Angeles Times

Disaster was averted thanks to a defense that stiffened and an offense that started moving the ball at something beyond a snail’s pace.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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