[lim.pet] n [ME lempet, fr. OE lempedu, fr. ML lampreda lamprey] (bef. 12c) 1: a marine gastropod mollusk (esp. families Acmaeidae and Patellidae) that has a low conical shell broadly open beneath, browses over rocks or timbers in the littoral area, and clings very tightly when disturbed
2: one that clings tenaciously to someone or something
3: an explosive device designed to cling magnetically to a metallic surface (as the hull of a ship)