limpet
/ˈlɪm.pɪt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.25 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
noun
Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.
British usage
Example Sentences
- "He stuck to me like a limpet all day!"
- "Mother visited the little cottage over the hill, and found Lisette's story to be quite correct; and many times the Frenchwoman blessed the day when Margie went limpeting and Lisette lent the old knife to the golden-haired little English lady."
- "Razor-fishing, sand-eeling and limpeting used to be popular activities but have declined in importance."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: lempet, lempedu, lampreda, lampetra
Usage
- British usage