Snail

/neɪl/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A slow-moving, shell-bearing mollusk that often has a spiral-shaped shell.

The garden was full of snails munching on the leaves.

A person or thing that moves slowly.

They were moving at a snail's pace during the traffic jam.

A type of mollusk, usually in the class Gastropoda, characterized by a coiled shell and a soft body.

The teacher brought in a live snail for the class to observe.

A term used in a figurative sense to describe sluggishness or slowness in movement or progress.

The project is progressing like a snail, much to everyone's frustration.

Old English 'snægl', related to similar words in other Germanic languages.

snail mail

Traditional postal service as opposed to electronic communication.

slow as a snail

Very slow; taking a long time to progress.

slug

A gastropod mollusk that lacks a shell.

shell

The hard protective outer case of some mollusks and certain other animals.

To move very slowly.

He really snails through his chores every weekend.

To take a long time to do something.

Don't snail around, we need to leave soon!