sea snail

noun

Any saltwater snail; a marine gastropod mollusk with a shell (contrasted with sea slug).

Similar
snailfishseasnailLiparis liparis
OriginMiddle English *se-snail ← Old English sǣsnæġl →
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Meanings

nounsea snail (plural sea snails)

plural sea snails · alternative sea-snail · alternative seasnail

  1. Any saltwater snail; a marine gastropod mollusk with a shell (contrasted with sea slug).

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsmall tadpole-shaped cold-water fishes with pelvic fins forming a sucker; related to lumpfish

Similar
snailfishseasnailLiparis liparis
Broader
scorpaenoidscorpaenoid fish
Also see
seasnailsnailfish

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Englishsǣsnæġl“seasnail”
  2. Middle English*se-snail
  3. Englishsea snail

From Middle English *se-snail, from Old English sǣsnæġl (“seasnail”), equivalent to sea + snail. Cognate with Danish søsnegl (“seasnail”), Norwegian sjøsnegl (“seasnail”), Icelandic sjósnigill (“seasnail”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek νηρίτης
  • νηρίτης (nērítēs)Translations
Catalan caragol de mar
  • caragol de marTranslations
Finnish merietana
  • merietanaTranslations
French bigorneau
  • bigorneauTranslations
German Meeresschnecke
  • MeeresschneckeTranslations
Latin nārīta
  • nārītaTranslations
Polish ślimak morski
  • ślimak morskiTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

sea snail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20snail

MLA

“sea snail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20snail. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sea snail,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea%20snail.

Source: sea snail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.