snail

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English snayl, snail, from the Old English sneġel, from Proto-Germanic *snagilaz. Cognate with Low German Snagel, Snâel, Snâl (“snail”), German Schnegel (“slug”). Compare also Old Norse snigill, from Proto-Germanic *snigilaz. === Pronunciation === enPR: snāl IPA(key): /sneɪl/, [sn̥eɪ̯ɫ] Rhymes: -eɪl === Noun === snail (plural snails) Any of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class Gastropoda, having a coiled shell. (informal, by extension) A slow person; a sluggard. (engineering) 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. (military, historical) A tortoise or testudo; a movable roof or shed to protect besiegers. The pod of the snail clover. (rail transport) A locomotive with a prime mover but no traction motors, used to provide extra electrical power to another locomotive. ==== Synonyms ==== (animal): dodman, hodmandod (East Anglia, dialectal) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== heliciculture slug === Verb === snail (third-person singular simple present snails, present participle snailing, simple past and past participle snailed) To move or travel very slowly. === Anagrams === Nilas, Sinla, nails, lains, Lians, sinal, Nails, salin, Lains, Aslin, nilas, anils, slain == Middle English == === Noun === snail alternative form of snayl