Meanings
plural limpets · alternative dialectal limpin
- 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.
- UKSomeone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.
He stuck to me like a limpet all day!
present singular third person limpets · participle present limpeting · participle past limpeted · past limpeted · alternative dialectal limpin
- To gather limpets.
Razor-fishing, sand-eeling and limpeting used to be popular activities but have declined in importance.
2024 December 22, Wikipedia contributors, “Culture of Jersey”, in English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation1 more example
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.
1890 JUNE, THE GUERNSEY MAGAZINE A MONTHLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL of INFORMATION, INSTRUCTION & ENTERTAINMENT, volume XVIII, number 6, page 1
Origin
- Late Latinlampetra“lamprey”
- Medieval Latinlampreda
- Old Englishlempedu“lamprey”
- Middle Englishlempet
- Englishlimpet
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.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λεπάς
- λεπάς (lepás)a small mollusc
Basque lapa
- lapaa small mollusc
Catalan paparra, pagellida
- paparrasomeone dependant
- pagellidaa small mollusc
Chinese Mandarin 帽貝 /帽贝, 笠螺
- 帽貝 /帽贝 (mào bèi)a small mollusc
- 笠螺 (lì luó)a small mollusc
- 笠貝 /笠贝 (lì bèi)a small mollusc
Czech přílipka
- přílipkaa small mollusc
Danish albueskæl
- albueskæla small mollusc
Dutch napslak
- napslaka small mollusc
Finnish iiliäinen, maljakotilo
- iiliäinensomeone dependant
- maljakotiloa small mollusc
French patelle, lampotte
- patellea small mollusc
- lampottea small mollusc
- berniquea small mollusc
German Anhang, Anhängsel
- Anhangsomeone dependant
- Anhängselsomeone dependant
- Napfschneckea small mollusc
Greek πεταλίδα
- πεταλίδα (petalída)a small mollusc
Hawaiian ʻopihi
- ʻopihia small mollusc
Hungarian pióca, kullancs
- piócasomeone dependant
- kullancssomeone dependant
- bogáncssomeone dependant
- függeléksomeone dependant
- csészecsigaa small mollusc
- tapadókagylóa small mollusc
Irish bairneach
- bairneacha small mollusc
Italian patella
- patellaa small mollusc
Korean 삿갓조개
- 삿갓조개 (satgatjogae)a small mollusc
Latin lepas, mītulus
- lepasa small mollusc
- mītulusa small mollusc
Māori ngākihi, kākihi
- ngākihia small mollusc
- kākihia small mollusc
- piritokaa small mollusc
Polish sierota, skałoczep
- sierotasomeone dependant
- skałoczepa small mollusc
Portuguese lapa
- lapaa small mollusc
Russian блю́дечко, морско́е блю́дечко
- блю́дечкоa small mollusc
- морско́е блю́дечко (morskóje bljúdečko)a small mollusc
Scottish Gaelic bàirneach
- bàirneacha small mollusc
Spanish lapa
- lapaa small mollusc
Swedish skålsnäcka
- skålsnäckaa small mollusc
Turkish Çin şapkası
- Çin şapkasıa small mollusc
Vietnamese con sao sao
- con sao saoa small mollusc
Welsh llygad maharen, cragen maharen
- llygad maharena small mollusc
- cragen maharena small mollusc
- brenniga small mollusc
- cogwrna small mollusc
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
limpet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/limpet
“limpet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/limpet. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “limpet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/limpet.
Source: limpet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.