Acmaea testudinalis (gcide) | Limpet \Lim"pet\ (l[i^]m"p[e^]t), n. [Prob. through French fr.
L. lepas, -adis, Gr. lepa`s, -a`dos.] (Zool.)
1. In a general sense, any hatshaped, or conical, gastropod
shell.
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2. Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order
Docoglossa, mostly found adhering to rocks, between
tides.
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Note: The common European limpets of the genus Patella
(esp. Patella vulgata) are extensively used as food.
The common New England species is {Acm[ae]a
testudinalis}. Numerous species of limpets occur on the
Pacific coast of America, some of them of large size.
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3. Hence: Somthing or someone that clings tenaciously to
another object or person; specifically a military
explosive device having magnets allowing it to cling to a
metallic target object, such as the hull of a ship.
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3. Any species of Siphonaria, a genus of limpet-shaped
Pulmonifera, living between tides, on rocks.
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4. A keyhole limpet. See Fissurella.
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