limpet

== English == === Alternative forms === limpin (dialectal) === Etymology === 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 (“to lick, lap”) + petra (“stone, rock”). Doublet of lamprey, which came through Old French. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈlɪm.pɪt/ * Rhymes: -ɪmpɪt === Noun === limpet (plural limpets) Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces. (UK) Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === limpet (third-person singular simple present limpets, present participle limpeting, simple past and past participle limpeted) To gather limpets. === References === Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “limpet”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. === Further reading === limpet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Patellidae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies === Anagrams === timple