Limpet
[LIM-pət]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Middle English, pre-12th century
1.
A marine mollusk which has a shallow conical shell and a broad muscular foot, found clinging tightly to rocks.
2.
Used in comparisons to refer to people and things that cling tightly.
Examples of Limpet in a sentence
"The limpet’s shell looked like an umbrella from the top view."
"Aaron’s friends called his new puppy a limpet."
About Limpet
This word stems from the Middle English “lempet,” an alteration of the Old English “lempedu,” meaning “a lamprey,” an ancient lineage of jawless fish. It originates from the Medieval Latin “lampreda.”
Did you Know?
In 2015, engineers in the United Kingdom found that limpets’ teeth are made of the toughest biological material ever tested. The teeth are of a mineral-protein amalgamation used to scrape food off rocks, often ingesting rock particles in the process. The team of engineers found the limpet teeth were stronger than all of the strongest man-made materials. This discovery could help improve man-made composites used to build cars, boats, aircraft, and human dental fillings.
