ˈlimpə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu, from Medieval Latin lampreda limpet, lamprey — more at lamprey
1. : a marine gastropod mollusk with a low conical shell broadly open beneath that browses over rocks or timbers chiefly between tidemarks and adheres very tightly when disturbed ; specifically : a member of the families Acmaeidae and Patellidae in which the uncoiled shell apex is imperforate — compare keyhole limpet , slipper limpet
2. : a person who clings tenaciously to someone or something
disconcert the studio loafer and the studio limpet — Osbert Sitwell
3. or limpet bomb or limpet mine : an explosive designed to cling to the hull of a ship
saboteurs stuck limpet mines on two gunrunning yachts — Newsweek
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