Lexic.us

Definition of Snail

1. Noun. Freshwater or marine or terrestrial gastropod mollusk usually having an external enclosing spiral shell.

2. Verb. Gather snails. "In the summer they like to go out and snail"; "We went snailing in the summer"

3. Noun. Edible terrestrial snail usually served in the shell with a sauce of melted butter and garlic.

Definition of Snail

1. n. Any one of numerous species of terrestrial air-breathing gastropods belonging to the genus Helix and many allied genera of the family Helicidæ. They are abundant in nearly all parts of the world except the arctic regions, and feed almost entirely on vegetation; a land snail.

Definition of Snail

1. Noun. Any of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class ''Gastropoda'', having a coiled shell. ¹

2. Noun. A slow person; a sluggard. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Snail

1. to move slowly [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Snail

1. 1. Any one of numerous species of terrestrial air-breathing gastropods belonging to the genus Helix and many allied genera of the family Helicidae. They are abundant in nearly all parts of the world except the arctic regions, and feed almost entirely on vegetation; a land sanil. Any gastropod having a general resemblance to the true snails, including fresh water and marine species. See Pond snail, under Pond, and Sea snail. 2. Hence, a drone; a slow-moving person or thing. 3. A spiral cam, or a flat piece of metal of spirally curved outline, used for giving motion to, or changing the position of, another part, as the hammer tail of a striking clock. 4. A tortoise; in ancient warfare, a movable roof or shed to protect besiegers; a testudo. "They had also all manner of gynes [engines] . . . That needful is [in] taking or sieging of castle or of city, as snails, that was naught else but hollow pavises and targets, under the which men, when they fought, were heled [protected], . . . As the snail is in his house; therefore they cleped them snails." (Vegetius (Trans)) 5. The pod of the sanil clover. Ear snail, Edible snail, Pond snail, etc. See Ear, Edible, etc. Snail borer, a boring univalve mollusk; a drill. Snail clover See Snail clover, above. Origin: OE. Snaile, AS. Sngel, snegel, sngl; akin to G. Schnecke, OHG. Snecko, Dan. Snegl, Icel. Snigill. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Snail

snaggers snaggier snaggiest snagging snaggle snaggle-toothed snaggles snaggleteeth snaggletooth snaggletoothed

snaggletooths snaggling snaggy snaglike snags snail (current term) snail's pace snail-flower snail bean snail darter

snail fever snail flower snail mail snailase snailed snaileries snailery snailfish snailflower

Literary usage of Snail

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The United States: A Graphic History by Louis Morton Hacker, Rudolf Modley, George Rogers Taylor (1891)
"The snail clover doea not do well here; the climate is too cold, I think. ... The snail clover grew very well. I think it is more suitable for low wet ..."

2. Handbook of Nature-study for Teachers and Parents: Based on the Cornell by Anna Botsford Comstock (1911)
"If a small boy were as well off as a snail, he could see the entire ball game through a ... In fact, the more we study the snail, the more we admire, ..."

3. A History of the Earth, and Animated Natureby Oliver Goldsmith, Washington Irving by Oliver Goldsmith, Washington Irving (1854)
"Every snail is at once male and female, and while it impregnates another is itself ... When the snail is in motion four horns are distinctly seen; ..."

4. The Journal of the Linnean Society by Linnean Society of London (1857)
"A second snail was then supplied to it, which I shall designate No. 2.—This also was a snail of the very largest size and perfect health. ..."

5. Insect Architecture by James Rennie (1830)
"GRUB PARASITE IN THE snail. During the summer of 1829, we discovered in the hole ... It appeared to us that they had attacked the snail in its strong hold, ..."

6. A Course of Elementary Instruction in Practical Biology by Thomas Henry Huxley, Henry Newell Martin, George Bond Howes, Dukinfield Henry Scott (1902)
"This, in the ' Garden snail', can be at once recognized by its delicate texture and ... During the summer months the ' Common snail' is to be met with, ..."

7. The American Naturalist by American Society of Naturalists, Essex Institute (1881)
"It is probable that the snail was one of the group to which ... Of distinguishing it from other similar calls or sounds; which the snail in question appears ..."

8. Indian Myths Or, Legends, Traditions, and Symbols of the Aborigines of by Ellen Russell Emerson (1884)
"Upon the banks of the Missouri River there once lived a snail, in great enjoyment; for he found plenty of food, and was never in want of anything that a ..."

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