limpet

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English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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 (“I lick, lap”) + petra (“stone, rock”). Doublet of lamprey, which came through Old French.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈlɪm.pɪt/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
    * Rhymes: -ɪmpɪt

Noun[edit]

Common limpets (Patella vulgata) in Pembrokeshire, Wales

limpet (plural limpets)

  1. A small mollusc, of the family Patellidae with a conical shell found clinging to rocks in the intertidal zones of rocky shores.
  2. (British) Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.
    He stuck to me like a limpet all day!

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