from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.
[1913 Webster]
2. Any one of many species of marine shellfish of the order
{Docoglossa}, mostly found adhering to rocks, between
tides.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[PJC]
3. Any species of {Siphonaria}, a genus of limpet-shaped
Pulmonifera, living between tides, on rocks.
[1913 Webster]
4. A keyhole limpet. See {Fissurella}.
[1913 Webster]