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Snail   /sneɪl/   Listen
noun
Snail  n.  
1.
(Zool.)
(a)
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 snail.
(b)
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.
(Mech.) 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. (Obs.) "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."
5.
(Bot.) The pod of the sanil clover.
Ear snail, Edible snail, Pond snail, etc. See under Ear, Edible, etc.
Snail borer (Zool.), a boring univalve mollusk; a drill.
Snail clover (Bot.), a cloverlike plant (Medicago scuttellata, also, Medicago Helix); so named from its pods, which resemble the shells of snails; called also snail trefoil, snail medic, and beehive.
Snail flower (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Phaseolus Caracalla) having the keel of the carolla spirally coiled like a snail shell.
Snail shell (Zool.), the shell of snail.
Snail trefoil. (Bot.) See Snail clover, above.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Snail" Quotes from Famous Books



... little Stuart animals and birds fill in the extra panels, such as the spotted dog who chases a little hare who is never caught, and the gaily-coloured parroquet and kingfisher, which no respectable Stuart picture would be without. The caterpillar, the ladybird, and the snail are all en evidence; and below is a real pond, covered with talc, and containing fish and ducks, the banks being made of tiny branching coral beads and tufted ...
— Chats on Old Lace and Needlework • Emily Leigh Lowes

... motor turned out to be a light ambulance of a popular Detroit make. Its speeding engine was pure camouflage for its slow progress. It bubbled and steamed at the radiator cap as it pushed along at almost a snail's pace. ...
— "And they thought we wouldn't fight" • Floyd Gibbons

... Ottoman kingdom, he avoided their camp, dexterously inclined to the left, occupied Caesarea, traversed the salt desert and the river Halys, and invested Angora; while the Sultan, immovable and ignorant in his post, compared the Tartar swiftness to the crawling of a snail. He returned on the wings of indignation to the relief of Angora; and as both generals were alike impatient for action, the plains round that city were the scene of a memorable battle, which has immortalized the glory of Timur ...
— The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07 • Various

... all countries many refer to insects, birds, animals, persons, actions, trades, food or children. In Chinese rhymes we have the cricket, cicada, spider, snail, firefly, ladybug and butterfly and others. Among fowls we have the bat, crow, magpie, cock, hen, duck and goose. Of animals, the dog, cow, horse, mule, donkey, camel, and mouse, are the favorites. There are also rhymes on the snake and frog, and others ...
— The Chinese Boy and Girl • Isaac Taylor Headland

... our grasp," said he, in answer to some close inquiries of Markland. "There has been a most vigorous prosecution of the works, and a more rapid absorption of capital, in consequence, than was anticipated; but, as you have clearly seen, this is far better than the snail-like progress at which affairs were moving when Mr. Lyon reached the ground. Results which will now crown our efforts in a few months, would scarcely have been reached in as ...
— The Good Time Coming • T. S. Arthur


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